War and Love
by TheVeteran
Summary: STATUS: ON HOLD! HHr. Harry, Ron, and Hermione and mysterious Knights are the only ones stopping Voldemort. Harry's destiny is either to kill or be killed, will he succeed?
1. Kidnapped

**NOTE: I do NOT own the characters save for a few I will create. I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does, I only own the plot!**

This is my first fanfic so be gentle! Weee!

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CHAPTER ONE: Kidnapped

* * *

Hermione and her parents were on their way home from the movies. "What did you think of the movie dear?" Hermione's father, Dan, asked her. "Oh, it was okay. Though I was a bit confused at some parts," she replied as she looked out the window. The sun was already down and there was only a little light left. "Personally, I liked it very much!" her mother stated after a few minutes.

"Oh mother, you like any movie Stephen King directs!" Hermione exclaimed as they pulled into the street where their house was. She could see that her mother blushed a bit after she said that, "That's not true!" she said in a low voice. They all laughed as they pulled into the garage…

* * *

Unknown to them, three people in black cloaks and with their hoods up were watching from a distance as the black Mercedes pulled into the garage. Three people stepped out and walked towards the house. The man in the middle nodded his head and the two others disappeared into the darkness.

He smiled as he walked towards the house. A few minutes later he was right outside, he pulled his wand out and pointed it into the sky. _"Morsmordre" _he muttered under his breath and something green launched itself from the tip of his wand. The Dark Mark suddenly appeared over the house as he pointed his wand at the door. _"Incarcerum!"_ he said as the front door caught fire and exploded inwards…

Hermione jumped up when there was a loud BANG! The whole house shook and she quickly ran to her room and got her wand out. She suddenly saw a green light glowing outside. Curiously, she walked over to the window and looked out. One of her deepest fears was happening, Voldemort's followers were attacking her!

She opened the door and ran out. Suddenly she bumped into one of the attackers by the stairs. The man fell instantly and Hermione heard a sickening _CRACK!_ As the means neck moved into an impossible angle. _That's one down, how many are there!_ She asked herself as she moved down cautiously.

Apparently they had heard him fall for one of the attackers spoke up from the kitchen, "Arge? Are you alright?" the man said. Hermione crouched behind the couch as the man stepped out of the kitchen, wand first. He walked over to the stairs and looked up, he saw the body and was surprised. That was what Hermione needed for she jumped up from behind the couch.

"_Stupefy!"_ she bellowed. She hit him square in the chest as the man flew into the living room wall, dropping his wand on the way there. Knocked out, he slid to the ground. The other attacker came out and instantly dove behind a chair just as Hermione sent the stunning spell at him as well. _You can do this Hermione!_ She told herself as she thought of a plan of attack.

Suddenly there was a loud **_CRACK!_** From behind her, the attacker had just apparated behind her. _"Expelliarmus!"_ he exclaimed instantly. Her wand flew out of her hand and into his hand as she was thrown against the couch by the force of the spell. The man laughed evilly, "You did pretty well Ms. Granger. Pretty good, though not good enough," he said.

Just then there were two more _cracks_ as two people appeared in the living room. Hermione looked to see who it was and was shocked, _Snape and Bellatrix!_ _What is he doing here?_ She asked herself. It appears Snape was confused himself for he looked surprised to be there.

"I wasn't informed of this raid," Snape said. "That's cause the Dark Lord wanted to keep this one quiet" she said grinning maniacally at Hermione. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Potter's girlfriend…" she said slowly. _Girlfriend! Since when was I his girlfriend? I mean I love him but does he love me back? WHAT!_ She thought as a million other thoughts rushed through her head.

"Wha-what do yo-you want?" she finally said, finding her voice. "We're here to…take you. Dark Lord's orders and he doesn't really tell us what the purpose is…" Bellatrix explained, "Though I think I know why…" she continued, her voice trailing off. "Anyway, enough chatting, its time to go!" Bellatrix said, "Take her with you to 23 Dead Alley Bron and keep her there until further orders. Wake up Stevey here too…" she said and with a crack she was gone.

Snape looked at her and quickly followed suite as he disapparated as well. _"Imobi Petrificus!"_ the man called Bron said and as soon as he said that Hermione couldn't move at all. _This must be just like Petrificus Totalus! The only way to counter that is if you put all your willpower into moving and if you have great power and strength… Maybe I can do it… _she thought to herself as she tried.

Bron must have seen her because he said, "You'll never get out of that one unless you know the counter spell and can do magic without a wand," he said snickering. "Wake up Stevey you fool!" he said, kicking his partner in the ribs. "Oh fine!" he said as he pointed his wand at Stevey and muttered something Hermione didn't catch.

The man awoke, rubbing his eyes, he suddenly stood up and raised his hand as if he had a wand. Bewildered he looked around then he calmed himself, brushing off some dust he picked up his wand and looked at Bron. "Sorry, I let her catch me off guard. Pity Doevi is dead, he still owed me some favors…" Stevey said as he shook his head. Bron looked at Stevey disapprovingly and shook his head as well, "C'mon, we better get goin'!" he said.

Bron grabbed Hermione quite ruffly then he apparated. Hermione felt the same tug at her navel when she was brought along during apparating, though this time she couldn't move. He dropped her into a couch that was quite stiff and dusty. _"Reliso!" _Stevey said, releasing her from the spell. She quickly darted for the door when Stevey opened it.

He immediately blocker her path and grabbed her. Then he threw her back on the couch, she landed rather badly. He laughed, "That wasn't very smart now was it? For that you will have to be punished, never do it again or this will happen!" he said, grinning as he pulled out his wand. Pointing it at Hermione, he uttered, _"Crucio!"_ then he laughed some more.

It felt like she was being eaten by worms, slowly, painfully, and worst of all it was everywhere. She felt like there were knives coursing through her veins. She had a headache that felt like it was going to split her brain in half. Her bones felt like they were being crushed and her skin felt like it was burning. Her eyes watered as the pain increased.

She screamed, the pain being too much to bear. She writhed in agony as she tossed and turned on the couch. She fell on the floor and then it stopped. Though it was still extremely painful, it wasn't as bad anymore. She was whimpering, tears flowing down her cheeks. She couldn't move very well so she stayed put. "That should teach you a lesson…" Stevey spat. He closed the door and then it disappeared.

She thought of one thing before she drifted into unconsciousness, _Harry. Harry! Please! Save me…_ and then she passed out. She dreamt of Hogwarts and Harry and Ron then suddenly she dreamt of her being tortured by Voldemort herself. Then Harry appeared, bound and in chains. Voldemort cackled crazily and then screamed _"Crucio!" _at Harry.

Harry screamed in pain then he passed out twenty minutes later. Voldemort was quite amazed that he lasted long before passing out. Then he turned to Hermione, "This is the price of his love for you. He saved you only for him to be killed…" he said and then he laughed maniacally. A glint of insanity in his eyes, "Say goodbye to him Ms. Granger" he said then he pointed his wand at Harry. _"Avada Kedavra!" _he bellowed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed as she woke up. She was sweating and tears flowed freely from her eyes. She suddenly felt hungry then noticed that there was a tray with a glass of water, two loaves of bread and some butter. There was also a small piece of chicken. She devoured it all, still hungry, she went back to the couch and fell into a dreamless sleep…

* * *

Harry was staring at the ceiling, he couldn't sleep and he was restless. _It feels like something bad happened…_ he thought to himself as he buried his head in his pillow, trying to sleep. Then someone rang the doorbell and banged on the door. Harry groggily sat up on his bed; he rubbed his eyes and put his glasses on. Someone banged on the door again, if possible, louder even.

Harry got up and opened his door just as his uncle came out of his room. He didn't see Harry as he continued down the stairs, "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! IM COMING! DON'T BREAK DOWN THE BLOODY DOOR!" he bellowed extremely loud. "HOW DARE YOU BANG ON MY DOOR AT THIS HOUR! DO YO-" but he had stopped in mid-sentence.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he exclaimed, clearly a bit frightened and nervous, though his anger was still strong. He heard someone speaking. Harry curiously stepped down a bit and peered at the front door from the stairs. There in the doorway was the unmistakable silhouette of Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor!" Harry exclaimed as he ran down the stairs. "What are you doing here?" Harry blurted out, not caring whether he had interrupted their conversation. "Hello there Harry. I'm here to fetch you, we are leaving immediately for your home…" he said with a slight smile. "My home…?" Harry asked, confused.

At this point Harry's aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley have gone down and were now with Vernon who was still fuming. "Yes, remember that you have inherited number twelve Grimmauld Place? After Sirius'…" but he didn't continue for he saw pain and anger flash in Harry's eyes. "Oh…" was all Harry said as he nodded. "You should be packing now Harry," Dumbledore hinted, looking at him through his half-moon spectacles.

"Oh, right professor. I'll be right down!" he said as he literally flew up the stairs. He suddenly ran into his room and grabbed his wand from under his pillow. He concentrated hard and said, "PACK!", pointing his wand at his trunk. The lid of his trunk flew open and all his thing flew into there. He put Hedwig in her cage rather roughly and Hedwig hooted in response and tried to peck his hand rather hard, narrowly missing.

"Sorry!" he said to Hedwig, she ruffled her feathers and looked away. He shook his head and looked around his room, making sure he got everything. He suddenly leaped onto one of the floorboards and opened one of them. He got out one of his Potions essays, a quidditch book named **Greatest Quidditch Players of the 18th and 19th Century **_by Rowell Rayland_, his invisibility cloak and a stack of letters (mostly from Hermione).

He stopped for a moment, staring at the most recent letter from Hermione. _Ever since I met her I sort of had this feeling for her, now I really seem to like her… more than a friend… _he thought to himself. He shook his head, "Not now!" he silently said to himself as he chuckled. _Do I have feelings for her? – yes! I think I do…_ he said to himself. He brushed the thought aside, making a mental note to go back to that topic. He stuffed everything in his trunk.

Just as he was about to drag his trunk down and carry Hedwig's cage at the same time, Remus Lupin stepped into his room. "Ah Harry! Good to see you! All packed I see," he said, giving Harry a hug and patting his back. Though he looked a bit healthier, he looked quite sad tonight. He saw what Harry was about to do and chuckled. "Harry! Let me take care of this. You just bring Hedwig down," he said as he waved his wand at Harry's trunk.

"_Locomotor Harry's trunk!" _he said. His trunk levitated a foot off the floor. Harry ran downstairs and found that there were more people downstairs. Dumbledore was in the living room with another wizard, presumably an auror. Tonks and Kingsley were by the door and Mad-Eye was by the stairs, his magical eye spinning furiously. Lupin came down along with Harry's trunk.

"Wotcher Harry!" Tonks said. "Hello there" Kingsley greeted him with a smile. Mad-Eye nodded and walked out of the house. Harry looked outside and saw that they all had brooms. "Erm… Professor Lupin, I don't have…a broom because…well mine was locked up in…umm…Hogwarts or something…" Harry tried to explain though he was slightly embarrassed.

"No need to worry Harry, I think Dumbledore brought your broom," Lupin replied. "Yeah, but if he didn't, you could always ride with one of us," Tonks replied. Harry nodded as Dumbledore and the stranger walked out of the living room. "Well Harry, you will only come back for a few more weeks here next year, then you will be of age and can leave," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Wow. I can't wait…" he said cracking a big grin. "Your Firebolt is outside, waiting. I suggest we go now," Dumbledore said, gesturing outside. As they mounted their brooms, Dumbledore stayed behind, not on a broom. "Professor?" Harry asked with a questioning look, "I am too old for brooms Harry. Besides, I have other matters to attend to," he explained. "I will tell you why we suddenly decided to pick you up…soon Harry, soon," he said as if he had read Harry's mind.

Harry nodded, "Off you go then. Take care," was all the headmaster said as he nodded than with a _pop_ he was gone. "Well, come on Harry!" Lupin said as they all kicked off and were waiting for him. "Oh? Right! Sorry…" he said as he kicked off and they flew into the night…

Hermione awoke, her back was really stiff and her hand was numb because she used it as a pillow. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Where am I?" she asked herself, looking around. And then it hit her, all the memories of that night came back. Being attacked, seeing Snape, the Cruciatus curse…

* * *

She cried again, shaking. _Oh no, how am I going to get out of here? Someone please help me… It's okay, be strong Hermione, someone from the Order will come looking for me, maybe even Harry if I don't write back to his letters if he sends any – but what if he doesn't send any or what if they take too long? – No they wont! Snape is part of the order, he'll tell them! – But what if he doesn't? – He will! He MUST! Oh I hope he did…_

She let the tears flow again; she brought up her knees and hugged them. _Oh I wish I was back with my friends, back in Hogwart, and not HERE! _She thought to herself. _I hope they don't kill me…_ she thought to herself as she tried to plan a way to escape, though it was hopeless. She was in a room that was pretty small and was made of pure stone. The only furniture was the stiff, broken, old couch she was sitting on.

The door itself was invisible unless opened from the outside. _How can I get out?_ She asked herself over and over. Just then, the door opened. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. _I must not look like I am weak!_ She told herself as she looked on. Someone stepped in, it was Stevey, followed by someone she didn't want to see, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Hello there Hermione! So good to see you," she said with a fake smile. Hermione spat at her, "Leave me alone! Let me out of here!" she screamed, anger filling her. Just then Bellatrix' smile faded and her eyes turned to slits as she scowled at Hermione. "You'll never get out, as long as you are here you are my master's prisoner. Come with me, NOW! Don't make me force you!" she said angrily.

Seeing as she had no choice, Hermione followed Bellatrix out of the room. _At least I'm out of there, _she thought as they walked down a corridor filled with doors. _These must be rooms just like mine, I wonder who's in some of them… _They went through the door at the end of the hall and then up three flights of stairs.

Throughout all this, Death Eaters walked to and fro, some were just talking about some things, others were guarding or patrolling, while others were doing some task of sorts. Just then Hermione knew it would be quite hard to escape for there were at least ten Death Eaters in here. She stopped in front of a fireplace and she withdrew a pouch from her pocket.

She got some substance out and put it into the fire and muttered something, _Floo Powder! _Hermione exclaimed in her head, _maybe I can use it to escape?_ She thought as she waited to see what was going to happen. "Sit" Bellatrix said as a chair appeared in front of the fire. As soon as she sat, a face appeared in the flames. "Wormtail, where is the Dark Lord?" Bellatrix hissed, showing her dislike for him, "He is coming!" he squeaked and then scurried away.

Bellatrix shook her head and crossed her arms. Just then an eerie, dark, and powerful voice came from the flames, "Leave us Bella," it said. "Yes master," she said, then she looked at Hermione, "Don't do anything foolish," she said and she walked out and closed the door. "Ahh… Ms. Granger… I do hope you like our… hospitality?" he said sniggering a bit.

"Yes, it seems I'm being guarded by trolls here. They're stupid, all of them!" she said with a smirk. Voldemort seemed taken aback for he paused, "Tell me… why do you think so?" he asked, curious. "Because you cant fend off the entire order and Dumbledore with ten Death Eaters! They're looking for me now, I know it, and when they find me they'll break me out of here as easy as a hot knife going through butter!" she exclaimed, keeping her smirk. He laughed, "What makes you think they know you are gone AND that they know where you are?" he said.

"I-I-I just know!" she stammered, gripping the armrests of the chair tightly. "Oh really?" he chuckled, "I bet they don't and besides even if they did they will never find you there," he said then he laughed evilly. You could feel the evil and the insanity in his voice. _And Harry is going to rescue me and kill that bizatch Bellatrix! _She didn't add. "Well, I am sure you want to know… WHY you were… kidnapped?" he asked questioningly.

She just nodded slightly and looked at the flames with a passive face, though it was quite hard to do. He laughed yet again, "I thought you were smart enough to realize this Ms. Granger!" he said, "My spies have seen you and Harry for a long time and I am quite sure that he… likes you more than a friend if that is how you say it…" Voldemort said, then he paused waiting for her reaction.

She sat there, shocked. _He likes me more than a friend? WHAT? – oh come on you know you like him more than a friend too! – I do NOT! – do too! – DO NOT! – Yes you do! Don't deny it – Maybe a little! – HAH! – Oh shut up! _She smiled a bit, and then she shook her head, banishing the thought. "Ahh… lets see what you think of Mr. Potter" Voldemort said.

Just then something attacked her mind. She was in a fragile state and her defenses were down so he easily got in. She tried to fight him but it was too late so she tried to block her memories from him. _Its no use… he's – too strong… ACK! _She said as he saw the memory of her lusting a bit for Harry and the memory where she had kissed him. Then he retreated, "Just as I suspected…" he said amusingly.

"Ha-Harry's going to come here to rescue me and he's going to kill YOU!" she screamed. He laughed, "Kill me? Just because he survived a few times doesn't mean he CAN kill me!" he said still laughing. "I will be waiting for him to come and rescue you for when he dives in, I will surround him and this entire 'Order' of yours and I will kill them ALL!" he said and before Hermione could say anything about that the flames disappeared.

Suddenly, she had an idea. Bellatrix didn't know she was done yet so she planned a bit. _Yes! Yes! That will work!_ She thought to herself and smiled. She got up…

* * *

They had arrived a few hours ago and now they were waiting for Dumbledore. Harry was twirling his wand in his hand, Tonks was changing her appearance to the description that Kingsley and Lupin wanted, and Mad-Eye and the stranger were in a deep conversation as a rather loud knock on the door was heard and someone rang the doorbell as well. They all stopped what they were doing.

Dobby, who was now in Harry's employ and was cleaning up the place, popped out of nowhere to open the door. There in the doorway was Albus Dumbledore along with Snape. "Ah hello there, I see you all arrived safely," he said as he stepped inside. Snape followed him, his black cloak moving with his thin frame. "Come, come. We have called a full meeting, everyone is attending," Dumbledore said as he brushed some dust off his cloak.

"In the main dining room I think, since there are a lot of us. Some aurors too, those who want to join the Order that is…" his voice trailed off. They all went into the dining room and sat down. Dumbledore sat at the head of the table, to his right was Harry, and to his left was Lupin. On Lupin's left were Tonks, Kingsley, and the stranger.

Next to Harry sat Mad-Eye, who had stopped his magical eye and plucked it out, and then he put it in a glass of water. He then put it back into his eye socket. _Gross_ Harry thought as he watched this. A few seconds later, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived with a slight pop. They took seats next to each other beside Mad-Eye. Then, three wizards and two witches arrived; Harry presumed they were the aurors who wanted to join the Order.

Then Mundungus arrived surprisingly earlier than usual. _No doubt Dumbledore forced him to come early _Harry thought as Mundungus sat down. Then Professor McGonagall arrived and sat at the second-to-the-last chair left. Then suddenly, a young man no older than Harry himself arrived. He had nice black hair, cool glasses (they didn't look dorky or so…), he wore blue pants and a red shirt which was under a long black coat.

He nodded at Dumbledore who nodded back and sat down at the chair at the opposite end of the table. "Now that we are all here, let us do some introductions first. As you all know by now, I am Albus Dumbledore," he said with a slight smile as everyone nodded. He pointed at Harry, "and this is Harry Potter" then he continued down the line, "Mad-Eye Moody, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, Mundungus Fletcher, Kaji Christopher," he paused at him, the boy on the other end.

"He really wants to join the Order. As some of you may know, he is Deputy Head Auror, and he has done more than all of us in this room save for a few," he said, his gaze lingering at Harry. "Anyway, this is Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Shakelbolt Kingsley, Seraphim Elabor, Jeremy Carleen, Tyler Marty, Kelly Murden, Christie Demin, and Zinoviev Larster!" he finished, clasping his hands together.

Everyone nodded at each other in greeting and a few handshakes went around. Dumbledore cleared his throat rather loudly and everyone stopped. He pushed his half-moon spectacles up with his finger as they were slipping down a bit. "Severus Snape has just reported to me something very…disturbing…" he said as he clasped his hands together again.

He unclasped them after a while, "Hermione Granger, a student a Hogwart, a brilliant one at that, is Harry Potter's very _very_ close friend," he said, looking at Harry who was blushing slightly. He put the tips of his fingers of both hands together, "Severus has seen that Hermione has been attacked. She is now being held prisoner somewhere in the vicinity of London, in a Death Eater hideout I think," he said.

Before anyone could speak, he spoke again, "I have gone to the Granger household and sure enough there was a lot of wreckage there. Hermione's parents are all right, though they were stunned and their memories were modified," he continued with a frown. He paused for a moment, as if not wanting to tell this sad report, "She is being used as a hostage. Most likely as bait, for as I can see right here, you want to rip all those Death Eaters to pieces and save Hermione, am I correct?" Dumbledore said a bit mischievously.

Harry blushed but as everyone saw, there was anger in his eyes. "Yes, that's exactly how I feel and that's exactly what I'm going to do!" he said. His eyes started to water so he wiped them with the sleeve of his shirt. "Yes Kaji?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrow, "Well sir, I think I can find out where she is. Though my methods of doing so I will not tell you, I will find out her location by tomorrow morning and I'll try and break her out, with some help of course…" he said, looking at Harry and a few others.

"Very well Kaji. Excellent!" Dumbledore said as he stroked his beard a bit. "I best be going now if I should get you information by tomorrow. Good night!" he said and with a nod he stood up and went to the side of the room. With a _crack_ he was gone. "Al-Albus…?" Mrs. Weasley said shakily, tears running down her face. "Wi-will sh-she be al-alright?" she finally managed to say as she tried to control her sobbing.

"I believe so Molly, for in order for her to work as bait, she has to be alive. Though I think they would hurt her a bit, though not excessively I think," Dumbledore said reassuringly. Mrs. Weasley nodded and just cried into her husbands shoulders. "Well…umm…Please excuse us…" Mr. Weasley held her tightly and they stood. "Go ahead Arthur," Dumbledore said quietly. He nodded and they left as Mrs. Weasley started a new round of sobs.

A mix of feelings and emotions were going through Harry. _Why? Why her? Voldemort I'm going to kill you! How dare you…_ he said. Anger, care, love, hate, and a feeling of revenge coursed through him. Anger topped it all, but there, somewhere, Harry could feel that his heart ached deeply. _Could I be… in love with her? – No! You cant, she's your best friend – Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't be with her, right? – Don't ask me!_ The other voice in his head said.

"Harry?" Lupin said, snapping Harry out of his trance. "Wha-wha-what?" he stammered. "You should go to bed, its been quite a long day and… and I know how your feeling right now…" he said slowly. Harry nodded, "I guess, I mean I am pretty tired…" he said as he got up. Lupin looked at Dumbledore who nodded, and stood to accompany Harry.

The big brown doors opened and they walked through, Lupin closed it behind them and they walked together up the stairs. Lupin put an arm over Harry's shoulders, "It's alright Harry. We'll get her back, don't you worry too much about it! Sirius wouldn't like you to be sad and depressed," he said, his eyes watering as he said Sirius' name, "He would like you to be strong," he continued but he couldn't go on.

They both cried a bit, though Harry cried slightly more and sobbed deeper. His heart was aching and his head was throbbing. They had reached his room as Lupin turned him around to face him. He put his hand under Harry's chin and raised his head, making him look at Lupin. "Don't worry, be strong, and try not to think too much about it. Good night Harry," he said quietly, patting his back. "Th-thanks Prof-Professor, I-I'll try…" he said, mustering a slight smile. He opened the door and closed it.

Harry fell on his bed and began sobbing some more. He quickly got out his wand and put a silencing spell on his room. He then cried out loud, sobbing deeply, and screaming out curses at Voldemort. He had enough energy to put his glasses on the table next to him as he drifted into sleep. Exhaustion and his emotions overcoming him as he closed his eyes and went into dreamland…

* * *

Haha! There is my first chapter! 4000+ words! Hope you like it. Please review I appreciate it! Thanks :)

Hitman


	2. The Rescue

Here it is! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! Something went wrong with my computer and it couldn't see my stories so I couldn't update them, though I can only create new stories and not put in new chapters since I cant see them. I will try to place this somewhere for the meantime and then go on another computer and get it from there :)

* * *

**Chapter Two: The Rescue**

* * *

Hermione quickly got the chair and dragged it all the way to the wall next to the door. She made sure it was on the blind end of the door (meaning when it swung open she wouldn't be seen…). She then quickly knocked on the door, "We're done," she stated. She immediately picked the chair up and over her head, waiting to strike.

Bellatrix opened the door and stepped inside. She looked around and hastily drew out her wand, "Where have you gone?" she asked, a bit nervous. Hermione crept up behind her and threw the chair at her. It made contact with her head and broke. Bellatrix stood for a moment, and then she dropped her wand and fell into a crumpled heap onto the floor.

Hermione smiled and checked her pockets. She found her own wand and the pouch of floo powder. _Good!_ She exclaimed in her head. She pointer her wand at the door, _"Colloportus"_ she said. The door was instantly locked. She then picked up Bellatrix' wand and stuffed it into the pocket of her pants.

She stepped into the fireplace, "I'm coming home!" she said to herself in a happy tone. She grabbed a handful of powder, "Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!" she exclaimed, throwing the powder to her feet. The fireplace just sparked, but nothing happened. _What! What's happening? Why isn't this working? Oh dear, oh my God… They must have but a floo travel ward. You can only speak through the floo network from here… THAT'S IT!_

She quickly got out of the fireplace. Bellatrix began to mumble something and tried to get up as she rubbed her head with her hand. Hermione quickly stunned her, and then faced the fireplace again. She grabbed some more powder…

* * *

Lupin went into the parlor room and sat in front of the fireplace. He closed his eyes, feeling exhausted. The meeting was done and most of the people have left. Dumbledore was still waiting for those who were late. Tonks was sleeping on the couch behind Lupin.

He looked at her; _she looks so lovely when she's sleeping… so peaceful too!_ He thought, smiling to himself.

Just then, Professor McGonagall stepped into the room, accompanied by Albus Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley. Lupin quickly stood, "How is he?" Arthur asked, concerned. "He's alright, though he is a bit overwhelmed with emotions… He is exhausted as well," Lupin replied, frowning deeply. He sat again as everyone else took a seat. "Poor boy, first his parents, then Sirius, now one of his closest friends might go as well!" Professor McGonagall shook her head.

She started crying a bit, "Oh Albus! I hope she is all right! For our sake and Harry's, I don't think he can bear to live if he loses someone else this close…" she said as she gave up trying to stop crying and just let it out. Dumbledore put a hand on her shoulder and patted it, "Do not worry Minerva. I am sure she will be alright," he said reassuringly and with a smile.

Professor McGonagall nodded and took at her handkerchief. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes then put it away. "Lemon drops anyone? I find it quite soothing at times like this," Dumbledore offered, holding out the bag. Everyone took one, even Tonks who awoke from McGonagall's crying. "So, who are we waiting for?" Arthur asked questioningly, savoring the lemon drop in his mouth.

"We are waiting for Hagrid, my brother Aberforth, and a few other people. They wont be long now…" he replied, taking another lemon drop from the bag then putting it away. Just then, someone knocked on the door. Dobby popped out again and opened it. "Good evening sirs!" he said, bowing deeply.

Hagrid came in, ducking as he entered the doorway. He quickly glanced around and walked towards an empty seat. He took it, though it was a bit tight and seemed to buckle a bit. "Good evenin' te yeh!" he said to everyone, raising his large hand. "Good evening Hagrid, though I think it is not such a good evening," Dumbledore said.

Professor McGonagall started crying a bit again, though this time her handkerchief was out quickly. "Hey Hagrid!" Tonks said heartily as she sat up from the couch. Hagrid smiled and waved, and then he looked at Professor McGonagall, then to Dumbledore. He raised his eyebrow and gave a questioning look.

Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother, sat next to Tonks, he just nodded at everyone. Though he wasn't as strong as Dumbledore, he was still pretty powerful and was still very wise. "Glad you could make it Aberforth!" Dumbledore said cheerfully, betraying the mood of the night. "Glad to be here Albus," he replied, nodding as he greeted his brother.

"Well, we're just waiting for two more I think," Dumbledore said a bit more cheerfully, "Dobby?" he called. _Pop!_ Dobby appeared in front of Dumbledore, "What may I do for you sir?" he said, bowing. "I think refreshments are in order. I would like my usual tea," he replied, his eyes twinkling. "Yes sir!" Dobby squeaked as a cup of tea appeared in his hand. A small table appeared next to Dumbledore's seat as he took a sip and put the cup there.

"And what will you have my friends?" Dumbledore asked, looking around. "Some coffee please Dobby," Lupin requested, smiling as he took the mug from Dobby. "Me too please," Tonks said, extending her hand and smiling as well. "I am fine," Aberforth replied to Dobby's questioning look. "I'll have some o' yeh tea as well," Hagrid said as a slightly larger cup of tea appeared in Dobby's hands.

"Thanks Dobby!" Hagrid replied, grinning madly as he took a sip. "Oh, I will just have some coffee as well," Professor McGonagall said. "Make that four!" Arthur exclaimed, ignoring his exhaustion. They were all drinking in silence, contemplating or resting their eyes, when suddenly Lupin spat out the coffee he was drinking. "Remus?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Was it too hot?" Professor McGonagall said, but then Tonks dropped her mug of coffee as well. "Ah! It migh' be poison!" Hagrid said, alarmed. Aberforth shook his head, "Keep quiet. A young girls head just popped into the fireplace, it appears she wants to speak," he said flatly.

"He-Her-Her-Hermione?" Lupin stammered as he rubbed his eyes and blinked several times. A faint yes could be heard. Everyone jumped and went to the fireplace, even Aberforth was faintly interested as he stood and went closer. "Wh-where ar-ar-are yo-you?" Tonks said. "You're alright!" Mr. Weasley cried out.

Just before they were going to speak again, Dumbledore's voice boomed, "Let the lady speak and keep quiet. Just listen to what she has to say," he said as everyone went silent. "Thank you professor. I don't have much time, I just knocked Bellatrix Lestrange out and I am using her floo powder right now, I do hope no one else comes barging in…" she said.

"Bellatrix? Oh, that can wait until later. Tell us Miss Granger, where are you?" Professor McGonagall asked quickly. "I-I don't know. They just apparated somewhere…" she replied, though her voice trailed off. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she seemed to try to remember something. "Wait! I think I remember Bellatrix saying something about bringing me to…umm… Dead Alley or something like that," she said, talking faster.

"Please help me! You have to! They did the Cruciatius curse on me, and then now Voldemort told me that when you come he would kill you all! Oh I don't know what to do…" she cried out, "Please…" she said in a barely audible whisper. They could see the nervousness, the fear, and the pain in her eyes. "It is okay Miss Granger. You have done well in informing us. Do not worry, we will get you tomorrow," Dumbledore said, trying to reassure her.

"Thank you sir, thank you. Is-is Harry there?" she asked out of the blue. "He is asleep Hermione," Lupin replied. "Oh," she said. Then suddenly she looked behind her as a loud bang echoed through. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" a voice bellowed. "HELP!" she screamed, _"Stupefy!"_ they heard her exclaim. Someone muttered a spell then said, _"Expelliarmus!" _then suddenly the fire went out…

* * *

Bron was pointing his wand at Hermione, "This should take care of you for now…" he muttered. _"Incarcerous!"_ thick ropes suddenly erupted from the tip of his wand and wrapped around Hermione. Unable to move, she cursed him with every curse she could think of. "SHUT UP!" he screamed, _"Silencio!"_ as soon as he said that spell Hermione ceased to speak.

"Much better," he said. Two more Death Eaters entered the room; one of them muttered _"Ennervate!" _then Bellatrix awoke. She silently cursed herself then she looked at Hermione. "How dare you!" she scowled. She spat on her, "I will kill you once the Dark Lord find no more use for you, or maybe I'll give you to my friends over here…?" she said, making her words sink in.

Hermione suddenly felt very frightened indeed. The two other Death Eaters looked at her with lust. One of them licked his lips and rubbed his hands together, the other just laughed. Bron shook his head, "I wouldn't want her, filthy mudblood!" he spat then he grabbed onto her and apparated back to the room.

"Do anything foolish and I will torture you until you go mad!" he said angrily. He did something Hermione didn't see and then the door appeared again, he stepped out and slammed it shut. Then the door disappeared and she was back alone, _At least they know the general area of where I am. They're going to come and save me TOMORROW! – YES! I can see Harry again! – Wow, where did that come from? _She blushed as she fellinto sleep…

* * *

Harry woke up as someone opened his curtains. Light streamed in and hit his face; he put his hand up, trying to block out the light. "Rise and shine Harry! Its ten in the morning, you've slept long enough. We're waiting for you, meet us in the dining room after you eat breakfast," Lupin said as he left. Harry groggily got up, rubbing his eyes; he quickly put on his glasses. He got some clothes and a towel and immediately took a shower. _Ahhh! A nice cool shower to start the day… _he thought as he showered.

He quickly got out and dried off, then he put on his clothes and ran down. "You're breakfast is ready Master!" Dobby said, bowing. "Thank you Dobby!" he said as he devoured his plate in five minutes. "Master likes the food Dobby made?" he asked. Harry just nodded since his mouth was full. Dobby beamed then disappeared with a _pop!_

Harry then ran into the dining room. There were five people there, Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, and Kaji. "Ah Harry! Awake already, good!" Dumbledore said. "Heya Harry!" Tonks said waving, "Good mornin'!" Kingsley exclaimed with a smile. Lupin nodded, his face grave. _Must be nearing the full moon I bet_, Harry thought.

"As I was saying Professor, I got some information that she is staying at a small Death Eater hideout. No more than at least ten Death Eaters probably, I could bust her out even with just Lupin or Kingsley to back me up," Kaji informed Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled brightly, "Excellent Kaji! We will be going there this afternoon. You may choose who you want to bring. I will accompany you," he said.

"Professor?" Harry spoke nervously. "Ca-can I come?" he asked, hoping he could. "I am sorry Harry, but if it is a trap, I do not want you there. It is very dangerous, I will not risk your life at the moment," he replied commandingly. "Bu-but…" he started to protest but Dumbledore held up a hand. "No Harry, that is my final word," he said sternly.

Harry turned around and left, fuming. _Hermione is my best friend! How could he? He knows how much she means to me!_ He sighed. His eyes started to water once more. He went into his room and closed the door. He put a locking charm on it, and then he fell on his bed. He felt useless, not being able to help rescue her. He cried hard and for a long time, _Hermione I can't lose you_…

* * *

Kaji had assembled his team. Lupin, Kingsley, Kyle (auror and close friend of his), himself, Dumbledore, Miguel (auror and close friend of his), and Seraphim (who was very reluctant to come), they all met in front of the entrance to Dead Alley. "Are we all here Kaji?" Dumbledore asked, "Yes Professor," he replied.

They quickly took out their wands; Kaji put a shield charm on each of them that will activate if they clapped their hands. "Ready? Do not kill them, the Ministry needs information and they will get it from them. Only kill when it is necessary!" Kaji said seriously. Everyone nodded, wands at the ready.

"Alright, here it goes," he whispered to himself. _"Serpensortia!"_ he said, aiming for the mouth of the snake statue. The snake fell on the edge of the mouth and slithered in. Kaji then touched both eyes of the snake with his wand. The statue sprung to life as it swiftly moved out of the way.

The sound of stone grinding on stone echoed all around. They entered Dead Alley in a tight group, wands at their sides. They looked around, concentrating hard incase of an ambush. There was none, they arrived in front of a very old and rundown stone building that looked as if it was about to fall. It was three stories tall, the windows were boarded up and the glass broken, and there were vines growing everywhere.

Just as Kaji was about to bust the door down, someone stepped out. It was a Death Eater who was too shocked that he just stood there. _"Petrificus Totalus!"_ Lupin said from behind, the Death Eater fell to the floor, rigid and unable to move. "We'll get the bodies later, lets move!" Kaji said, running into the house.

Soon, they were fighting the Death Eaters; three Death Eaters were down, including the one outside. Seraphim was slightly injured and Lupin was still waking up from a stunning curse that was sent at him. _"Avada Ke-"_ a Death Eater was saying with his wand pointed at Kaji, but Kingsley beat him to it, _"Expelliarmus!"_ he bellowed.

The Death Eater flew back and hit the wall and fell on the table that was by the wall. It broke and he slid down unconscious. _"Avada Kedavra!" _a Death Eater screamed, the jet of green light headed for Albus Dumbledore who was dueling two Death Eaters. Kaji saw it all in slow motion, he quickly got his wand up, _"Maxim Suprotego!"_ he screamed.

An intense white barrier formed around Dumbledore. The killing spell was suddenly absorbed into it and then both barrier and spell disappeared. The Death Eater who had cast it was now in a full body-bind curse that Lupin had sent at him. _"Reducto!"_ a Death Eater screamed, coming out from his hiding place.

Kaji ducked as the wall behind him exploded. Rocks rained down on him, coughing he rolled to the left and brought his wand to bear. _"Rictusempra!"_ he said (they are using non-killing/harming spells as you can see so they have prisoners. Hehe) and the Death Eater dropped his wand and started rolling on the floor laughing. Soon, there were no more Death Eaters to duel. _"Mobilicorpus!"_ everyone said as they each brought a person outside.

All the Death Eaters were then put under the full body-bind curse to prevent them from escaping. They had eight of them rounded up outside. "There are still at LEAST two more," Kingsley muttered aloud. "Yes, it seems so," Dumbledore agreed, walking over to Kaji. "That was excellent! Thank you very much for saving my life. I never knew there was such a shield charm that strong…" he commented.

"Yeah, though it only works for only one killing curse so you keep needing to recast it and if the shield gets hit before the wizard you are dueling casts the killing curse then some of the killing curse will still hit you," Kaji explained, grinning slightly. Dumbledore pushed his glasses up, "It is still a very amazing spell, I am guessing that you came up with that one?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Yes Professor," he replied, positively beaming. "Well come on! We aren't finished yet," Seraphim said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. His eyes looked inside eagerly and he was excited because this was his first battle. "Alright, Kaji, take three people and go, the rest of us will send these wizards off to the Ministry…" Dumbledore suggested.

Kaji nodded, "Yes Professor," he agreed. "Kyle, Miguel, Seraphim come with me!" he ordered as he about-faced. His cloak billowing with him, he ran inside. "Alright, Seraphim your with me, lets check downstairs. Miguel, Kyle, you go check upstairs!" he quickly said, and then he dashed down the spiral staircase, two steps at a time.

_Don't worry Miss Granger, we're coming for you…_ he thought as they went through the door. The hallway was lined with doors, "Umm…Kaji…Which one?" Seraphim said humorously. Kaji rolled his eyes, "Lets check 'em one by one…" he said, beckoning for Seraphim to follow as he ran to the first door. "You check that side of the hall, I check this side!" he specified to Seraphim…

Hermione woke up as an explosion rocked the entire building. _What was that? – The rescue party probably – Good! _She thought then when she tried to get up, she couldn't. _Oh great, I'm still wound up… _she said to herself in the head. Then when she bent a bit, she felt something poke her left side. "Ouch!" she screamed as she sat up.

"What is this…?" she asked herself, trying to wriggle free of the bonds. They loosened a bit, though she still couldn't get out. _Bellatrix' wand! _She exclaimed in her head, _yes!_ She brought her shoulder up slightly, after five long minutes and an entire bucket of sweat later; she finally managed to edge the wand out of her pocket. _How do I get a hold of it! _She thought as she tried to think of a way to get the wand into her hand. Just then the door appeared, then someone stepped inside. It was Bron. "You're friends are here, I'll give them a taste of the Dark Arts," he sneered.

"No!" she screamed, she didn't like it one bit. He looked at her, "Well, I see you're a little… tied up?" he said, laughing at his own lame joke. _I…need to…reach this wand!_ She tried harder, the bonds scraping her skin making her bleed…

They were down to the last five doors; they were all empty, except for one room where there was a man sleeping. They were going to help him later. Just then Kyle opened one door and found three Dementors about to administer the kiss to someone. _"Expecto Patronum!"_ he said as his patronus came out of his wand.

It was in the shape of a really huge scorpion. It clicked its pincers and scuttled towards the man who was unconscious. The Dementors screamed (a scary scream, kinda like a Nazgul scream but less frightening…) and came out of the room. There was no patronus protecting Kyle so they were about to kiss him.

"_Expecto Patronum!"_ Kaji bellowed, thinking of one of the happiest memories he had. Out came his patronus, amazingly bright white light issued from the lion-like form of Kaji's patronus. It bit into one of the Dementors and it screamed then disappeared into the Ether to escape. The other two followed suite. Kyle was on the ground, sweating like crazy, when Kaji helped him up, he felt his hand was cold.

"You're okay," Kaji said, patting Kyle's back for reassurance. "I'll take care of the rest of the rooms, get that man outside. Try to revive him later," he ordered. Kyle quickly shook his head and ran inside. _"Reducto! Reducto! Reducto! Reducto!" _Kyle exclaimed as he blasted all four chains that held the man. He put the man over his shoulder and ran down the hall, up the stairs, and out of sight.

Kaji checked the two doors before the last and final door. He drew his wand. _"Reducto! Tarantallegra!" _he screamed, blasting the door and parts of the wall around it. Then the spell hit Bron who got caught by surprise. _"Finite Incantatem!" _he said, pointing his wand at his feet. They stopped dancing.

It was all the time Kaji needed to free Hermione of her ropes. _"Incendio!"_ he said, pointing at Hermione. The ropes burst into flames and fell limp. She slowly sat up and got the wand out…

* * *

"You are foolish to face ME alone!" Bron said, boasting. _I'm free of the ropes! – Wow! You noticed – Who is he? He looks quite handsome… - Hah! At a time like this you are thinking of his looks? – Its natural! Besides, I feel… a bit safer with him here – You do? – Yes! I don't know why though…_ she debated with herself for a few seconds.

She sat up very slowly and puller out the wand in her pocket. Bron's back was to her, Kaji was looking straight at her, but Bron thought he was looking at him. Suddenly, Bron screamed _"Avada Kedavra!"_ but Kaji ducked and it flew over his head. _"Expelliarmus!" _he said, it missed Bron by mere millimeters.

Kaji rolled to the right and hid behind the couch. Then he lay flat on his stomach and pointed his wand at Bron's feet, _"Metrip!" _he said quietly. Bron ran to his left, wand out but he suddenly tripped after that spell. _"Rictusempra!"_ Kaji screamed, jumping out from behind the couch.

Bron laughed so hard, but then he stopped. Hermione was pointing a wand at him, and then she said, very softly, _"Crucio,"_ with a straight face. He writhed in agony, he screamed loudly, pleading, "Please…aaahhh! Pl-ple…" he whimpered as he started screaming again. "That's for what you did to me!" Hermione stated quite angrily.

Then she stopped and started crying again. _"Petrificus Totalus!"_ Kaji said, as Bron suddenly stopped moving. He ran to Hermione and enveloped her in a hug. "It's okay, your safe now Miss Granger," he said, wondering why though they were the same age, he called her miss, "They wont hurt you anymore," he continued, patting her back.

She cried into his chest, his robes and his shirt, which he wore underneath, got really wet. He held her until she started to regain control. "I-It was ho-ho-horrible wha-what they did t-to m-m-mee!" she said in between sobs. "It's okay," he reassured her. She nodded, then he pulled out the handkerchief he always brought with him and wiped her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked concerned, she nodded in reply. She put his arm around her to support her and she leaned on him a bit. "Are you sure you want to walk? I can…umm…carry you?" he asked politely and in a caring voice. "I-I'm fine. Th-thanks anyway," she replied as she put her head on his shoulder…

* * *

_Damn! She is pretty cute and she IS beautiful… What did they do to her to make her cry so? Damn you Voldemort! I swear I will help to make you dead! – Your starting to like her Kaji… - I know! I know! Shut up already! – Do not get too emotionally attached, you know that – I KNOW! I'm just having a hard time not being attached right now – Riiight… _he didn't argue anymore.

They came out of the building. Dumbledore was there, along with Lupin, and a few aurors from the Ministry. "Thank you Albus! Ten more Death Eaters behind bars, we appreciate it," he said thankfully. "We are just doing what we must," Dumbledore replied. The auror was Kaji's assistant, Mogrif. "Ah… Kaji! You we're part of this raid?" he asked. "Yes I was Mogrif, how is everything?" he asked.

"Not very well sir. We will miss you for the year, are you sure you want to teach at Hogwarts?" he said cautiously. He nodded, "Yes, I'm sure. You can run the office for a year, I know you can. Just don't get into too much trouble," he continued, grinning. Mogrif smiled back mischievously, "What kind of trouble Kaji? You know I'm not really a troublemaker…" he replied in mock surprise.

They laughed together. "Well, I should be on my way. See you later, and thank you once more," he said. "Oh! Mogrif, by the way, there is one more body down there. I forgot to bring him up," Kaji quickly said before Mogrif could apparate. "Oh, alrighty then. Arny, Plac, go get him please. I will meet you all in the office, good day!" he said warmly, then he disapparated.

Kaji suddenly realized he was still holding Hermione. He was about to let her go when he suddenly sensed that she was sleeping. Her breathing was sort of normal and she was very peaceful. _Might as well let her sleep… _he thought as he turned towards her and carried her like a husband does to a wife right after they are married. "Ahh… she is asleep? I think she should take a rest first before seeing everyone, could you bring her to your place for a while Kaji? I would appreciate it," Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Of course Professor. I'll bring her there as soon as she wakes up," he said. Dumbledore bowed his head, "Thank you Kaji, your help will not be forgotten," he told him as he disapparated with a _pop!_ "I think dinner time should be fine," Lupin said as he stepped up to Kaji. "What time is that Professor Lupin?" he asked, embarrassed that he didn't know. "Oh, around eight o'clock should be alright. That should give you around, five hours. Take care of her!" he said as he disapparated.

_My flat, my flat… _he thought, and then he apparated with a _CRACK!_ He appeared in his living room. He walked into his bedroom, which was the only bedroom, and placed her on the bed. He took off her shoes and socks and put the blankets over her. He then took of his clothes and showered, cleaning all the dust that accumulated on him during the raid.

After that he quickly went into the dining room, he thought of a large pepperoni and cheese pizza, _"Conjurus!"_ he said. A pizza box appeared on the table, he opened it and took out a slice. "Yum…" he said slowly as he savored the flavor. He ate one more slice then went back into his bedroom. He stopped by the bed and looked at her.

_So beautiful when she's asleep… DO NOT GET EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED! – oh why not! Its HARD and I want to get emotionally attached – NO YOU CAN'T! if you do then Voldemort will get her and USE HER because then she would be your WEAKNESS! – Your right, BUT I still don't care! – You are hopeless…_

He quickly reached out and brushed away a bunch of stray her from her face. He stroked her cheek, _so soft…_ he thought. He then left the room and sat on the couch. He took off his shoes and socks as well, then his shirt and pants. He lay on the couch with just his boxers, and then he conjured a blanket and a pillow. "Ahh…" he sighed as he drifted off into sleep.

"Hermione is safe Harry, you don't have to worry anymore," Lupin explained when Harry came into the parlor room. "She's here? Where is she? I have loads to tell and ask her!" he said so fast that they almost couldn't understand him. "She is not here Harry. She is currently in a friend's house, resting," Dumbledore told him.

"WHAT? Why is she there? I NEED to talk to her!" Harry sad loudly. "HARRY! Do NOT talk to Dumbledore like that!" Lupin exclaimed, getting a bit irritated at Harry. Dumbledore put up his hand, "Thank you Lupin," he said, "Now Harry, you must understand. This is the very reason why she is not here at the moment. You will pester her and irritate her when she just wants to rest," he explained further, "Don't worry, she will tell you everything when she feels she is ready. She will be here later as well," he continued. Harry's anger subsided, "I'm sorry Professor, I-I overreacted. I guess its just that I care for her so… well, that wont happen again," he told him. Dumbledore nodded, watching Harry as he left the room…

* * *

HAHAHAHA! How do you like this chapter? Sorry AGAIN if it took so LONG! There is something wrong with this… I can't update the chapters for ANY of my stories. AGAIN, reviews are welcome.

**THANKS TO:**

Iccy: thanks, I'm glad you like it!

HermioneGirl03: THANK YOU!

Magiguill9: Thanks! I am also glad that you like it and find it interesting as well!


	3. Torn Between Two

I finally got it to work! Anyway, here is Chapter Three. I will be making the chapters more descriptive probably. I'll test it on Chapter four but in the mean time I will stick to my original form of writing for now. ENJOY! Reviews are welcome! Whether it be suggestion, praise, or hate :p

There IS A **FIGHT SCENE** here that I think is pretty good…hehehehe :)

**NOTICE: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER AND SUCH, I ONLY OWN THE CHARACTERS I MADE UP AND the PLOT!**

**Dreamergirl86: **yes it will be HHr! Let me write the story and you'll see. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Three: Torn Between Two**

Hermione awoke suddenly. _Where am I?_ She thought to herself as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes groggily. It was pretty dark and her eyes had to get used to the light. She was in a bedroom. She quickly got out of the bed; she then noticed that her shoes and socks were placed in one corner of the room. Curious, she walked through the open door and into the hallway.

She heard some sounds and saw a light flickering just down the hall. She quietly and quickly approached it. She peered inside, the television was on, and there was someone sleeping on the couch. In between the couch and the TV was a small wooden coffee table that had the remote on it and a few papers and an empty cup. Tiptoeing, she leaned over and looked at the person's face.

_It's the guy that saved me! – Really? I didn't notice! – Hmph! _She replied to the other voice, ending the 'conversation'. She reached out a hand and stroked his cheek a bit. She smiled then went into the kitchen. She saw the pizza on the table and quickly got her wand out and heated it up. She then ate it hungrily, finishing the slice in just a few bites.

She went back into the room where he was sleeping and grabbed the remote. She turned the TV off and placed the remote back on the table. She knew she had no right to snoop around and explore but curiosity got the better of her as she stepped back into the hallway. She saw a closed door and tried open it. _It's locked! _She thought to herself as she got her wand out.

"_Alohamora," _she whispered as the lock clicked open. She grinned. Opening the door, she quickly went inside. It was dark so she groped for the light switch. Not finding one, she pulled out her wand again, _"Lumos," _she said quietly. A beam of light erupted from her wand. She slowly walked forward, wand first. It was a strange room. There was a board made of foam where newspaper articles and pictures were pinned.

Some of them were notorious murderers of the wizarding world; others were dangerous werewolves and such. She then saw that he had a few trophies; she quickly went over to one. It was a slightly bigger trophy than the rest, it read: **1st Place, Best Wizard Dueler Award**. She moved on to another trophy, which read: **1st Place, Auror Duel Contest**. Impressed, she moved on to the next one, **Order of Merlin, 2nd class**, _Wow, how come no one knows about him that much? _She asked herself.

She then looked back at the pictures on the board. Some of them were crossed out and some had notes. There was a picture of Sirius Black, though his picture was encircled with a marker and next to it was written: **Innocent** with a thick underline. She smiled at this, looking at the other pictures. Some read captured, others were written off as dead, some were written as escaped and a few were written as 'still at large'. The pictures cursed at her silently, putting up their middle fingers a few times. She chuckled and shook her head, rolling her eyes at the same time.

She suddenly heard some movement from outside. Quickly, she ran out of the room as fast as she could. _"Colloportus!" _she whispered, looking the door. Just then he heard him yawn and then cough. He walked out of the room and into his bedroom. He then went into the bathroom. After a while, he came out…

* * *

He looked at the bed, rubbing his eyes. He rubbed them some more, and then he blinked a few times. "Hermione?" he called out uncertainly as he finally understood that she indeed wasn't in bed. "Hermione?" he called out again. "I'm over here!" he heard her reply from the kitchen. _Thank God!_ He thought as he went into the kitchen.

"Hey, well, we have to get going," he told her. She nodded and walked past him. He scanned her with his eyes. He shook his head, banishing all the thoughts that came into his mind when he looked at her. He quickly went into his room when he made sure she was in the bathroom. He then quickly changed. He wore a light gray shirt, baggy light brown pants, and white Nike rubber shoes.

He then walked out of the room and waited for her in the hall. _She's taking quite long in the bathroom… _he thought to himself as he leaned against the wall. As soon as he said that, she came out. She had fixed her hair so that it was nice and bushy, just the way it fits her. "Shall we?" she asked, walking over to him. "Sure," he said quietly, holding onto Hermione.

With a _crack_ they were gone. They appeared in front of an old house. "Here we are," he said as he walked towards the door. He rang the doorbell and waited as she came up behind him. The door opened slowly, revealing Dobby, who wore five of the hats Hermione made. "Welcome!" he said quickly, gesturing inside. They both went inside. The hall was beautiful.

A beautiful red carpet was flowing all around. The walls looked brighter and the entire house seemed to radiate warmth and love. They walked into the parlor room. There was a comfy looking couch near the corner of the room, in front of the fireplace. In front of the couch were two very old chairs that also looked quite comfortable. To the right, by the window, were four chairs, each chair separated from the other by a small table.

The red carpet was also in the room. All the colors seemed to blend perfectly together. While they were admiring the new look of the room, someone suddenly ran down the stairs. They were wrenched from their concentration at admiring the place as they looked to the left to see who it was. It was Harry…

* * *

Harry heard the doorbell ring. He quickly jumped out of bed and got into his clothes. He ran into the bathroom, almost breaking the door. He immediately took of his glasses and washed his face. Looking into the mirror, he tried to fix his hair, though he knew it was hopeless. _Never hurts to try again… _he thought, grinning at his reflection. 

He then ran out of his room and flung himself down the stairs. Looking to his left, he saw them. "'Mione!" he cried out, flinging himself at her, arms outstretched. He pulled her into an immense hug, crushing her. "Ha-Harry I-I-I ca-can't breath!" she said, out of breath indeed. He let go of her and looked down, blushing. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Yeah, its okay Harry. Nice to see you too!" she said, smiling. She walked towards him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She stepped back as they both stood there, blushing madly. "Wow," he said under his breath. Then he noticed that there was another pair of shoes to his left. He looked up to see who it was.

"Oh, hey Kaji!" he greeted, extending his hand. Kaji took it. "Hello Harry," he replied. After a few moments of silence he said, "Well, I think I should go now…" he said as he walked towards the door. "What? Stay for dinner!" Hermione said, sounding as if she was ordering him to. "Erm…well, I don't think I should really," he said, looking back at them.

"Nonsense! I agree with Miss Granger, you should stay Kaji," a voice said from behind them, startling them. Harry turned around and saw that it was Dumbledore. "Professor!" they all blurted out at the same time. He smiled at them, "Now, to the dining room. Kaji, I suggest you stay or risk being run down by Mrs. Weasley who made us dinner!" he said.

He chuckled, "Well, I don't have much choice then now do I?" he said, grinning. They went into the dining room. Sure enough, Mrs. Weasley was there, helping to set everything with Dobby. "Quicky Dobby, and make sure that they don't get overcooked!" she called out to Dobby who ran into the kitchen.

She then looked at the newcomers, startled. "OH! Hermione dear!" she exclaimed, running towards her and giving her a big hug. "We were so worried!" she said. Hermione nodded, "Well, I'm here now, safe and sound!" she said, smiling back at Mrs. Weasley. She nodded as well, "Well, I have to go and fix up dinner," she explained, running towards the kitchen door.

There was a huge dark oak table in the middle of the room. There was a red runner on it, a bouquet of flowers were in the center of the table. Four candles ran along either side of it. All the silverware and dishes were set already, only the food remained. "Well, I see that the food isn't ready yet. Why don't we all just go into the parlor room?" Dumbledore suggested.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement as they walked back into the parlor room. Five minutes later, Lupin, Tonks, Hagrid, Mad-Eye, and Professor McGonagall all arrived at the same time. After much time greeting, most especially Hermione, they sat down and waited as well. A few minutes after that, the rest of the Order came in, save for Kingsley and Mundungus, who then arrived a minute later.

"Does anyone know where Kingsley is?" Lupin asked, concerned. There were a lot of no's and shakes of the head. "Strange, he should've been here by now…" Lupin said, shaking his head and clearing the thought from his mind. "Might be doing some last minute stuff," he reasoned to himself. Just then, Mr. Weasley came into the packed parlor room.

"Well, Molly has dinner ready. We could go in now, though I think she would want to wait for everyone," he explained to them, a slight smile appearing on his tired face. He looked around for anyone to respond…

* * *

**One hour ago, somewhere across town…**

"Are you sure about this?" he hissed, not even bothering to look at the small man cowering before him. "Ye-ye-yes ma-master! I am ve-very sure!" he said shakily, eyes wide with fear. "We shall see…" he said, "Leave! Send in Bella and Severus!" he ordered. The small figure hurriedly stood, bowed, and left the room.

A few minutes later, Bellatrix and Snape arrived. "You called for us…master?" Snape said. "Yes Severus, I have a raid that I want you to supervise…" he replied coldly, malice evident in his voice. "A…a raid?" Bellatrix asked curiously, smirking at the thought of another raid. "Yes Bella, on an Order member AND an auror," he said, laughing evilly.

"Take as many Death Eaters as you will need. I don't want any mistakes," he said, shaking himself out of his thoughts after a long period of silence. He stared at the flames, _I will kill everyone you know and love Harry, you'll be the last one I will kill… _he thought as he stared a bit longer at the fireplace. "You will be attacking a man called _Kingsley, _a very important Order member and auror, from what my source tells me," he said.

"Now go! What are you waiting for?" he asked angrily when they didn't move. "Master…we are.. going now?" Snape asked coolly, not daring to expose his surprise. "Yes Severus, _now_," he replied coldly at him. "C'mon Severus, lets go!" Bellatrix whispered to him, tugging at his cloak. Snape nodded, thinking of a way to get himself out of this predicament…

* * *

**Present time, somewhere in London… **

"This is it! This is his house!" Bellatrix hissed at the group of Death Eaters. _Strange, Severus had said something about not finishing this task set by the Dark Lord and that he needed to finish it. He disappeared shortly afterwards… strange indeed… _she thought as the group of Death Eaters fanned out. Two to assault from the back, two from the front along with Bellatrix, and two to attack from upstairs (using brooms to crash into the upper floor).

As soon as everyone was in position, she immediately gave the signal, the Dark Mark. "_Morsmordre!" _she said, as a green light erupted from her wand and the Dark Mark suddenly appeared in the sky…

* * *

**Inside the house…**

_Im late!_ He thought to himself as he ran to collect some of his things. He was just about to apparate when there was a loud _CRASH! _He scrunched up his face, eyebrows meeting. He suddenly whipped out his wand, cursing as he finally thought of what that could be. He was walking towards the back door when it suddenly imploded and flew at him. He barely avoided it by stepping to his left and turning around, crouching against the dining table.

The door hit the chandelier, and fell onto the ground just as the chandelier fell on top of it. _DAMN! That was an expensive chandelier… _he thought, chuckling a bit. He heard someone enter the back door. "Is he even here Terny?" a voice asked. "He is you idiot! Now shut up!" another voice replied coldly, obviously Terny. Kingsley crawled over to the other end of the table, getting as far away from them as possible.

He then rose up a bit to a kneeling position and looked up from behind the table at the two Death Eaters. The man named Terny had walked into the hall as the other one just stood there, unmoving as he surveyed the room. Just then he heard people going down the stairs.

**BANG!**

He moved a bit closer to the Death Eater so he could get a view of what was happening. He immediately cursed himself as he saw that his front door had seized to exist and was instead replaced with a gaping hole. Three more Death Eaters stepped through it as two more came from upstairs. _Damn! Outnumbered… badly… _he thought as he raised his wand at the Death Eater who had his back to him.

"_Petrificus Totalus," _he whispered quietly, pointing his wand at the man and smiling. The Death Eater just stood there for a few seconds. He fell backwards, completely rigid and unmoving. Kingsley smirked, as he peered through the hall from behind a chair. They all seemed to have gone upstairs; only one person remained by the stairs, shifting his weight from one leg to another. He could hear voices from upstairs.

Kingsley jumped out of his hiding place, wand raised, _"Stupefy!" _he said quietly. A jet of red lightheaded towardsthe unsuspecting Death Eater, he screamed in surprise just before the spell hit him. _Great! _Kingsley thought as he swore and ran through the hole out into the night. Just then he heard someone swear loudly. Two figures suddenly came out of his bedroom window on brooms.

A woman and two others ran out of the hole he just came out of and were screaming hexes and curses at him. He dodged most of them but got hit by one on his right shoulder, he grunted in pain as he tried to ignore the wound. He hid behind a tree as he inspected his shoulder. It looked pretty deep, he touched it and as soon as he did, he winced in pain.

Just as he was about to heal it, the tree began to fall over as a spell cut it in half right above his head. Sweating like crazy he ran for cover just as spells came flying at him. He turned around, "_Loreghio!_" he screamed as a bright orange barrier suddenly formed in front of him. Spells hit it and rebounded off it.

"_Incendio!" _he bellowed angrily at one of the Death Eaters on brooms, who smirked and dodged the spell easily. _"Arrate!" _one of the Death Eaters on the ground screamed, destroying his barrier. Another spell hit him as he fell to the ground, a gash on his head. He touched it, wincing; he scrunched up his face again and pushed himself off the ground.

"_Protego!" _he said as he thought of the first barrier spell that could come to his mind. The barrier absorbed another spell as he concentrated on the Death Eaters on brooms. One of them instantly dived and yelled three curses all at once, Kingsley immediately tapped his foot with his wand, activating one of the barriers he had placed on himself just incase he couldn't get a defensive spell out.

All three spells hit the barrier, causing it to flicker, but it stayed on. _"Feros!" _he said, grimacing in pain as his head throbbed, blood flowing freely from his wound. His spell hit the Death Eater ,who had dived, in the back. He fell and hit the ground with a sickening _crunch_. Suddenly, a spell hit his barrier and it went out, just as another spell came at him. He ducked as it barely missed him.

A spell hit him squarely on the middle of his back as he flew forwards, muttering a spell so he could land softly and instantly rolling to his right just as another spell whizzed past him. _"Stupefy!" _he bellowed, the spell hit one of the Death Eaters who was thrown back. He was immediately impaled on the stump of the tree that broke earlier, straight through the heart.

Kingsley shook his head, getting rid of that memory immediately. _That image might haunt me… _he thought, smiling to himself for a split second before he let out a scowl as another spell almost hit him. He growled at the remaining Death Eater in the sky who snickered. Then he went away, only to come back, shouting spells as fast as he could.

"_Impedimenta!" _Kingsley screamed in response, running fast and hard to his right just as four spells hit the spot where he was before. The Death Eaters eyes widened in surprise as the spell hit him. Slowing him down immensely. _I've got you now you bastard _he thought as he pointed his wand at him. _"Raem Incantale!" _he said loudly, smiling as the man was thrown ten feet into the air, landing on the ground unconscious.

Just as he turned around to face the other two, a spell hit him squarely on the chest. He widened his eyes as he was thrown back a few feet. He couldn't move at all, he tried but it only hurt. He could feel the sweat on his face. He looked around, his robe was cut in many places and his shoulder suddenly started to remind him of the wound that was still there.

It was bleeding horribly; he never even knew he had lost that much blood. He could also feel a sticky liquid all across the left side of his head, _must be blood too… _he thought as his head started to hurt. There were a few other gashes that he could see, a deep one on his leg too. Suddenly, the two Death Eaters came up to him, "You were very good… _Kingsley_," the woman said, smirking.

"But not good enough…" she said mockingly. She looked at his wounds,"Oh my, did we hurt you?" she said in mock concern, sniggering. He put on a straight face, "Go to hell," he managed to say, though very weakly. She stopped laughing, her face suddenly becoming dead serious. She scowled at him, and then she smirked.

"Now, now. Don't be sad, you'll be seeing the rest of your friends in the afterlife…soon," she said in a I-know-something-you-don't tone of voice. He chuckled, though it hurt very much. He shook his head, "Are you crazy? Just because you took me down doesn't mean you can take out the rest of us…don't get too confident you _bitch_! It took seven of you to take me down!" he said, smirking back at Bellatrix who was giving him an icy glare.

"You're head must be up in the clouds today…" he said, chuckling once again. "SHUT UP! You idiot, listen and listen well! Where is the Order's headquarters! Tell me the address!" she screamed at him angrily. "I don't know what you're talking about _Bellatrix_," he said coolly, smiling in spite of his predicament. She turned beet red, fuming.

She then looked at the sole remaining Death Eater and nodded. He raised his wand, _"Crucio!" _he said, a big smirk plastered onto his face. He grinned as Kingsley screamed in pain. After a minute or so, Bellatrix finally broke it up. "Now, tell me. WHAT IS THE ADDRESS?" she bellowed, surprising Kingsley.

He tried to catch his breath as he was breathing quite fast. His heart pounded madly and his head throbbed like there was no tomorrow. "I would rather die than tell you," he said, coughing. Bellatrix rolled her eyes and raised her wand, "You will tell me now, or I will force it out of you!" she said, meaning every word.

He raised an eyebrow, "Show me what you got bitch!" he challenged her. Bellatrix' eyes widened in surprise to his answer, but she slowly regained control of herself. "Fine then…" she said, grinning evilly as she said the word, _"Imperio"_. Suddenly, all Kingsley could hear was this voice. It was soft at first, but it suddenly grew stronger.

_Tell her the address… tell her… c'mon and tell her the address! _It said, he was about to say it when he suddenly realized what was happening. He fought it as hard as he could. But he couldn't stop himself from blurting out half of it, "Twelve Gri…" he said but he stopped mid sentence as he finally fought and won over the voice.

Bellatrix was surprised yet again, "Very good… you fought it well, but I am afraid that things are not going to work out. I WILL find out and you WILL tell me," she said coldly as she stared at him, making her eyes slits. _"Legilimens!" _she whispered, attacking his mind. Kingsley was totally unprepared, before he knew it, she had already gotten the address from him.

"NO! No… no… NOOO!" he screamed, trying to shake away the guilt that he felt. _I gave them away, now they're all going to die… I have failed Dumbledore! _He said, his eyes stinging and welling up with tears. His cheeks felt like they were burning as he got angry, very angry. He instantly broke the spell that was binding him with the last of his strength.

He weakly took his wand just as Bellatrix grinned triumphantly. "Thanks Kingsley, now I'm afraid you have to go…" she said as the other Death Eater sniggered. She smirked at him as he gave her the meanest and most evil look he could. She glared back at him, though he could see she was amused. "No… you're going…" he whispered.

"What did you say?" she said mockingly, raising a hand to cup her ear as she leaned closer. He raised his wand at that moment, _"Avada Kedavra!" _he bellowed with all his might. Bellatrix' eyes widened in disbelief, _no, this cant be happening! _She immediately pulled the Death Eater next to her in front of her. The spell hit him and he fell against Bellatrix, limp.

She smiled for herself, _good thinking Bella… _she thought as she raised her wand at Kingsley this time. "Nice chatting with you Kingsley," she hissed, smirking at him. "Just do it!" he spat at her, glaring at her angrily. "tsk-tsk-tsk," she said, "Lets have a little fun first…" a twinkle of madness in her eyes. _"Crucio!" _she said, watching him writher and thrash around in absolute pain.

She liked it. The feeling that she was powerful. She liked THIS. That was why she joined Voldemort in the first place. She was hungry for power, and now she had it. The power to inflict pain on others, to kill them for pleasure. A small smile tugged at her lips as she thought of the Longbottom couple. THAT was one of her best moments, THAT very thing was the one that made her stand out in the ranks.

_The Dark Lord will be pleased… _she thought to herself, a slight grin coming to her lips. She stopped torturing him, as he was about to go off the cliff of sanity. He looked at her, absolute hatred and anger filled in his eyes. "Any…last words?" she said, sneering at him. He spat at her, "Ye-yeah… go to hell," he said, mustering up the last of his already exhausted strength to say that. She glared at him and raised her wand, "Goodbye," she said, _"Avada Kedavra!" _she muttered as the spell hit Kingsley.

He died instantly…

* * *

**A minute later, 12 Grimmauld Place…**

The doorbell rang, as they were about to eat. They heard Dobby open the door, he squealed when he saw who it was. Severus Snape entered the house, his robes billowing after him. He quickly entered into the dining room, everyone suddenly shut up and there was a dead silence as he walked over towards them.

"Severus! Glad you could make it," Mrs. Weasley said excitedly. Snape nodded, "Well, that isn't really why I'm here…" he said rather coldly. "Is there something wrong Severus?" Dumbledore asked, that familiar twinkle in his eye. "Kingsley, has been attacked. I am sorry I didn't arrive sooner, the Dark Lord ordered me to do something and I couldn't just leave at the moment…" he explained, though he didn't really seem to show that he cared about Kingsley.

Lupin dropped his fork and spoon, Tonks spat out the pumpkin juice she was drinking, Hagrid stared at Snape, eyes wide in disbelief. The others were just dumbfounded, listening intently. "Yo-your joking right?" Lupin asked, hoping that he was. "Seriously Remus, you think I would joke of such a thing?" he sneered. Lupin nodded, not minding Snape's tone.

"Then, all Order members are to return to their posts as of now. Severus, thank you, we will look into it. Arthur, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Kyle, pleas do come with me. We will be going to Kingsley's place," Dumbledore said in a commanding tone. He nodded at Snape, who, with a swish of his cloak, left. Everyone got up, except for Hermione, Harry, and Kaji, all looking wide-eyed and surprised. Everyone save the three of them walked out. Suddenly, Dumbledore and Lupin came back in after a while.

"Should I be going as well?" Kaji asked, finally out of his chain of thought. "No Kaji. We have decided that you will be staying with them for the rest of the summer," Dumbledore replied, smiling. "Lupin will be away on missions more often now, so you will remain here with them," Dumbledore continued, eyeing Kaji through his half-moon glasses.

Kaji just nodded, leaning back on his chair. "Do-do you think he's alright?" Hermione asked, quite concerned. "I…" Dumbledore hesitated for once, "I do not know," was all he said. They all understood that he probably wasn't okay or that maybe he was already… _dead_. "I think you should go to bed now, we wont be seeing you anytime soon though…" Lupin said, smiling and putting his hands together. "Remus, get them to bed. I will see you at Kingsley's," Dumbledore said, nodding at them as he left.

Harry was still silent when they were going up the stairs. "Well, Hermione's room is right across the hall from yours Harry. Kaji, you take the one next to Hermione's," Lupin explained, looking at them as they nodded. "Well, go wash up. I need to leave now, take care of yourselves and stay out of trouble, okay?" he said, grinning at them recklessly.

They all smiled and nodded at him as he saw them go into their separate rooms. Lupin left, frowning slightly as he thought of his friend Kingsley. _Curse you Voldemort… _he thought as he steeled himself, expecting to see the worst when he went to Kingsley's…

* * *

**Thirty minutes later…**

She thought to herself for the longest time as she stared at the ceiling. She was plopped on her bed still wearing the same clothes she wore the entire day. She sighed, the entire dinner, she noticed Harry snatching a few glances at her every now and then. Even Kaji, who sat right beside her.

She caught Harry looking at her while they were eating and he blushed slightly and looked away. _Does he like me?_ she thought as she finally got off the bed and began to strip her clothes. She quickly went into her pj's and surveyed the room. The bed was in the left corner furthest from the door when you walk in. To the right of the bed was a small night table with a black steel lamp. Across the bed was a huge wooden cabinet that looked quite new, though she knew it was because Dobby had cleaned it well.

Right next to that was a huge, full-length mirror shaped into a slight oval. She walked over to it and studied herself in the mirror. She had changed much over the years. Her bushy brown hair was actually a bit more controlled and a bit straighter than before. It fell onto her shoulders, framing her face perfectly. She smiled as she saw her mirror image wink back at her.

Her coffee brown eyes stared back at her. She had more 'curves' and was a bit taller than before. Her breasts were already developing and she blushed a bit when she saw Harry look her up and down a while ago. She had this strange sensation in her chest as her stomach did back flips when Harry hugged her a while ago. But then, she also seemed to have this feeling when she was with Kaji that day when he had rescued her.

_But… who do I like? _she asked herself, putting her hands to her hips. She didn't answer herself as she suddenly had the urge to wash up and pee as well. She quickly got out of her room and was walking to the bathroom when suddenly someone stepped out of it.

She stopped in her tracks, frozen into place. It was as if a wall stopped her from moving forward. It was Harry. He had a towel, which only covered his lower half, not his upper body. She stared at him. He had also changed over the years. His raven colored hair was still as unruly as before though. His emerald green eyes were amazing.

Sometimes she found herself lost in them whenever she looked into them. _Wow, all that Quidditch playing and practicing must be paying off! Look at those muscles! _And indeed he had quite big muscles, though they weren't amazingly huge, they were just right. _He actually looks… quite sexy… _she thought to herself, grinning. Then she slapped herself mentally, _Granger! He is your best friend! You can't develop feelings like this, what if he rejects you? What if he doesn't feel the same way?_

She brushed all these questions away. She didn't care, and it didn't matter to her at all. _Wait a minute! That day when I…I spoke with… HIM… he said that Harry liked me… more than a friend… _she thought some more, _I wonder if he really does… _she speculated as Harry suddenly noticed her.

"Umm… Hermione?" he said quite surprised. "Wh-wh-what?" she asked herself as she mentally slapped herself again, _he caught me staring! Oh my God… what should I do…? _she asked herself as her heart beat faster. "What are you doing?" he asked, amused at her worried look. "Umm…Umm…nothing!" she said, "Just…just going to the bathroom! Yeah! I was going to the bathroom," she replied hastily.

Harry raised his eyebrow as she walked past him, purposely avoiding his eyes. "Goodnight Harry!" she said as she walked over to the bathroom. He followed her with his eyes, chuckling to himself inwardly. _She likes me doesn't she? – Probably _the other voice in his head responded as he chuckled some more.

_She's quite sexy in her pajamas – WHAT! She is gorgeous in any outfit! _the other voice screamed at him. He rolled his eyes as he walked back to his room. _She has changed a lot – You just noticed that now? – Shut up – Whatever… you are hopeless. You like her then why don't you tell her! – SHE IS MY BEST MATE! – A hot best mate you have then… besides, you like her to be more than a friend to you… don't you? – no, I don't! _he replied to the other voice, though he knew he wasn't convincing and he knew that he was lying.

He sighed as he put on his boxers and a shirt. He fell on his bed, exhaustion creeping over him. He placed his glasses on the table next to his bed and switched the lamp off. He smiled as he drifted off into sleep, thinking of Hermione…

* * *

_Do I like her? _he asked himself for the millionth time that night. He knew it was just in the 'like' or 'crush' stage and wasn't more than that yet. He had had a girlfriend in the past, one who had broken his heart deeply, along with other bad memories of his family when they were… _ARGH! Stop thinking of that! Its in the past, get over it… _he screamed to himself inside his head. 

He shook his head as he tried to sleep, though it was kind of hard. _Sometimes, when I was next to her, I didn't want to like her but at the same time I did for some reason… Why! _he thought as he shifted his position into a more comfortable one. _She is pretty hot… and she is quite smart… though why do I like her if there were other girls who are as hot or even hotter than her? Maybe… maybe this is just something I'll get over…because for some reason, I feel as if the one I am to love is still out there… _he thought as sleep finally gathered him up in its wake…

* * *

She was thinking of them both as she tossed and turned in bed. Thinking of all the things that have happened. _Kaji… Harry… _she thought as she opened her eyes again. She looked at a spot on the wall as she thought for a moment. _Who… do I like? _she thought as the question tugged at her mind. _You barely KNOW Kaji, how could you like him? – I DON'T KNOW! – Hmph! You've known Harry all your life and you knew you liked him since that day in 1st year when he saved you from that troll!_ the other voice in her head said. 

_I know! Its just that… Oh I don't know! _she said to herself, giving up and making a mental note to get back to this topic soon. She yawned deeply as she stretched. Sleep finally creeping up on her, she thought of them again as she drifted into a dreamless sleep for the night…

* * *

W00t! its done! Finished! Chapter 3! Should be one of the longest chapters I've made so far. Well, as I said I think I might change my writing style and it might affect the length of the chapters. So, THANKS FOR READING! Sorry if you dont like this one, it was kind of rushed but anyway, **I WILL SEE WHO LIKES IT FROM THE REVIEWS!** **HINT HINT**  
**REVIEWS ARE WELCOME!**

Hitman

p.s. Chapter four is probably tomorrow :p 


	4. Weasleys Attacked

Well, finally CHAPTER 4! Weeee! WHERE ARE THOSE REVIEWS PEOPLE? Hehehe…hope you like this story! This is the longest chapter I have made…ever…

**Dreamergirl86: STOP **worrying! Hehehe, you'll just have to wait and see :) thanks for the reviews!

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS! I only own the characters I made up and the plot!**

Here you go:

* * *

**Chapter Four: Weasleys Attacked**

The sun shone through Harry's windows as he woke up, raising his arm to shield his eyes from the light. He put his glasses on and waited a bit for his eyes to adjust to the light. Groggily, he stood up, walking over to the door. Suddenly, Hedwig hooted goodmorning from her cage. He nodded but just as he was about to open the door, she hooted again in a pleading sort of manner.

He raised his eyebrow, looking at the snow-white owl. It dawned to him as he nodded again, smiling sleepily as he walked over to her cage. He opened it and positioned his hand just outside her cage. She quickly plopped herself on it as she stretched her wings. Harry walked over to the window and opened it as he then stroked her. "You be safe okay?" he asked, still a bit groggy.

She hooted in reply and flew off as Harry watched her until she disappeared into the sky. He quickly walked out of the hall and headed for the bathroom. The event of the previous night suddenly came back to him as he remembered seeing Hermione _staring _at him. He smiled at this; _maybe she does like me… _he thought as he washed his face.

He tried to fix his hair, though he was foolish enough to try it, knowing full well that it wouldn't work. He ran down the stairs as the smell of food beckoned to him, making him go down in a sort of trance. He went into the kitchen and saw that it seemed positively brighter in there. _Dobby has outdone himself this time… _Harry thought as he marveled at the cleanliness of the kitchen.

Kaji and Hermione were already eating, though they hadn't noticed Harry yet. "I am absolutely STARVING!" he exclaimed as he saw the food on the table. Bacon, eggs, ham, hotdogs on a stick, chicken, and even some grapes and apples. He quickly ran to his seat and sat down, his sleepiness forgotten.

"Sleeping beauty is finally awake!" Hermione teased him as Kaji and her laughed a bit. Harry smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, though I did hear some rather loud snoring and snorting from ACROSS THE HALL LAST NIGHT," he countered, emphasizing the last few words. Hermione blushed, "What? I… I do NOT snore OR snort in my sleep!" she said quickly. Harry muttered something under his breath something about 'sounded like troll' as he laughed silently.

Harry chuckled as Kaji hid a slight laugh behind his hand. They ate in silence for a while as Harry plopped more and more food onto his plate and started devouring it. Hermione looked appalled when she watched him eat, "Honestly Harry! Don't you have any manners at ALL?" she asked, emphasizing the last word. Harry grinned, "I doh tink sho," he said with a mouthful of food.

Hermione shook her head as Kaji just looked at Harry, who shrugged and went back to eating his food. _These two are amazingly funny and are pretty cool … Why wasn't I friends with them before at Hogwarts… _he asked himself questioningly. He shook his head as he downed the rest of his water. He smacked his lips, "That was an amazing breakfast, thank you Dobby, don't you agree Harry?" he said aloud, though the elf wasn't there. Harry just nodded.

Suddenly, Dobby appeared next to Kaji, bowing low. "Thank you sirs!" he squeaked as he bowed again and then disappeared, eyes full of joy. Hermione smiled, _that was SO nice of him… _she sighed, looking at him a bit, and then going back to finishing her food. She stole a glance at him again, studying him as he closed his eyes for a moment, pondering on something.

He had changed rather early. He wore loose light brown pants, a blue collared shirt, and some rubber shoes. He had his hair spiked up, though there were two groups of hair, which he shaped into an upside down V upon his forehead. _It does make him look quite hot and sexy… _she thought to herself.

She suddenly realized what she had thought. _WHAT! What am I doing thinking of that… _she thought to herself again as she made a tut-tut sound. He had opened his eyes again, revealing dark brown eyes that were slightly darker than hers. She smiled sheepishly when he raised an eyebrow at her. He shook his head, "Erm…so umm…what do you guys want to do?" he asked.

Harry, who had surprisingly finished the mountain of food which was in front of him just moments before, just shrugged. "I don't know…oh WAIT! I know!" he said gleefully as an idea struck him. "Lets play some… hide and seek?" he asked. Hermione looked at him, bewildered. "Hide and seek?" she asked in disbelief.

"Can't we play something…else?" she said, though she knew they wouldn't since Kaji seemed to nod his head in approval. "I like it… lets play!" he said, grinning. Hermione looked at Harry for a moment. He stood up. Hermione suddenly noticed that Harry was only wearing a shirt and his boxers. She blushed an interesting shade of magenta as she looked away.

"Sooo…who's 'it' first?" Harry asked, smiling mischievously at Hermione. He had a very good reason as to why he asked to play this game. "Hmm…" Kaji thought, though he too looked at Hermione and grinned. "Wh-what! ME?" she asked, surprised.

They both nodded, staring at her, and then they looked at each other and laughed. "Honestly, can't it just be one of you?" she asked, though she knew it was hopeless. Harry shook his head, "Nope," was all he said. Kaji rose from his seat, looking down at Hermione, and then shifting his gaze to Harry.

"I think counting to thirty is…enough time?" he said, grinning. Harry just nodded as they both looked at her, expecting her to shut her eyes and count. She finally nodded at them, though she scowled at them slightly. They both held back their laughter, sniggering a bit. She rolled her eyes, and then she closed them. "One… two… three… four… five…" she began to count.

She heard them running up the stairs as she reached ten. By the time she counted to thirty, all was quiet. _Dobby must be off cleaning one of the other rooms in the house… _she thought since she didn't see the house-elf when she had walked from the kitchen to the top of the stairs.

She looked questioningly at the flight of stairs that went even higher. She knew it went to the third floor, though she also knew there was another set of stairs going to the attic, but she has never been there before. She sighed as she went up the stairs, somehow knowing that both of them were up there…

* * *

**Just then, at Dumbledore's Office in Hogwarts…**

Dumbledore looked at them from behind his half-moon spectacles. They were in the Headmaster's office in Hogwarts. Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Hagrid, even Snape and a few others were there, all looking at Dumbledore, who looked back at them. "It appears that it is true, Kingsley… is dead," he said, a slight frown forming on his old, worn, and wise face.

"We will have a proper burial for him, this weekend," he continued, the frown on his face still there. Everyone nodded, "I think it is also time… that we give Sirius a… proper burial as well?" he asked them all softly, knowing that most of them was Sirius' friend. A murmur of agreement came from them.

"Will 'arry and 'ermione be c'min to the burial as well?" Hagrid asked, though he knew the answer before the headmaster even replied. "Yes, of course Hagrid," he replied, a familiar twinkle in his eye. "Well, Severus… could you give a report now, if you please," Dumbledore said, motioning for him to start.

Snape nodded and cleared his throat. "He is…pleased at what has happened…" he said, his voice trailing off. He shook his head as he heard his own words and slapped himself mentally at the weak tone in it. He cleared his throat yet again, "He has found out the address to our headquarters," he said quickly and coolly.

Someone behind him gasped while the others suddenly started talking quietly with each other. _This was disturbing news all right, _Snape thought as he coughed rather loudly, making everyone shut up. He saw that a look of worry had passed briefly across the headmaster's face, but it instantly disappeared a second later.

"Go on Severus," Dumbledore said, still calm and passive. "From what I could gather, he seems to be planning another raid on someone. I am not sure who yet but I am pretty sure it is one of us OR an important Ministry person," he told them, his face unmoving. "That is all for now," he concluded, looking at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked at him, "Thank you Severus, that information was important, though it troubles me," he told him as he went back into deep thought. The others suddenly started talking to each other again, "When can you find out who it is?" a man with thinning brown hair and a big bushy beard asked him intently.

Snape looked at him and remembered him as… _Jeremy Carleen_, a rather good auror. He had a look of worry on his face. "I do not know," he replied rather coldly. Jeremy just nodded as he stroked his beard with his left hand. "Well, that news is very disturbing. That means that no one is to go alone anymore on missions and stuff. Only Severus will be safe alone, since the Voldemort is not after him," Dumbledore said.

He looked at each and every one of them, "We must be careful from now on. We will each be with at least one person at ALL and I do mean ALL times," he continued, putting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together. "We cannot afford to lose this battle, you must understand that. Lupin and Tonks, I have a mission for you. Come here tomorrow, about the same time should be fine," he explained to them.

Lupin flashed Tonks a smile, making her blush and look away. Dumbledore smiled as he saw this, "The rest of you will have your regular shifts, though one is _always_ to be accompanied by another of the Order," he plowed on, making it a point to emphasize the word _always_. "Albus, will Kaji really be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts and are we really going to have that Duel Class. Which is also supervised by him?" Professor McGonagall spoke up, not having said anything the entire time.

"Yes Minerva. He is quite capable, having passed his N.E.W.T and O.W.L for Defense Against the Dark Arts about two months ago," he informed her. Just as she was about to say something in protest of this, he cut her off, "Minerva, I am quite sure that Kaji will handle himself well and I place my complete trust in him," he told her.

She nodded at him, "I understand Albus, it's just that, well… I have never seen this Kaji in action and I have much doubt," she explained herself, looking at Dumbledore straight in the eye. "Yes, yes… I know Minerva, that you think he cannot teach because he is only the same age is Harry and must be inexperienced," he said, embarrassing her quite a bit. "Do you not trust my decision?" he asked her, catching her off guard.

"I-I…I didn't mean…no, I…oh alright Albus," she conceded, smiling and shaking her head at the same time. Dumbledore chuckled, "I also have my doubts Headmaster. I trust you, though I do hope you made that right decision," Snape said, showing some dislike for Kaji. "Will he be given power to add or deduct points from Houses? Oh and will he also be given power to grant detention?" he asked, a bit of anger in his voice. He was angry that Kaji got the job.

"Maybe, I'm not sure yet Severus. Trust that I will inform you immediately once I get to a decision," he told him, looking at him from above his half-moon spectacles. Snape looked away in slight embarrassment, nodding as he did so. "Well, that should do. We will have another meeting soon, I will have Fawkes inform you," Dumbledore said as he looked at the Phoenix.

It looked back at him, seeming to understand everything they had just said. There was a hint of sorrow in Dumbledore's eyes for a while, but then it was gone. He smiled slightly as he watched them walk out of his office, talking in hushed voices…

* * *

**Back at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place…**

She arrived on the third floor. She found that the hall was very clean; the red carpeting was also up here. The light was turned off so it was pretty dark. She walked on, hands outstretched just incase there was something she might run into. Hermione stopped in front of the first door to her right.

She opened the door and peered inside, squinting so as to see in the darkness. _It's just an empty closet! _she thought, shaking her head. She closed the door and continued on, hands still outstretched. _Damn! Why does it have to be so dark in here? _She stopped short as she noticed she passed a door to her left. She quietly opened it, looking inside.

There was sufficient light coming through the window and it was obvious that Dobby had cleaned the room since it looked quite clean for a room that's been unused for a long time. She walked in, noticing that there was a huge wooden closet inside. She first walked over to the bed, looking under it just in case one of them had hidden there, though she doubted they would fit under there. _You never know… _she told herself as she sighed, getting up from the floor.

She walked over to the closet, hesitating for a moment, before she opened it. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as she saw that it was empty. _Freaking yourself out Granger? Be braver for Merlin's sake! _She walked out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her. She walked down the hall, stopping at two more rooms. Finally, the last two rooms were at the end of the hall.

She drummed her fingers against her thigh as she thought of which room to go into first. _Aw what the heck, I'll just go with this room… _she went over to the room to her right. Opening it, she stepped inside, looking around. _There! _she told herself as she walked silently towards a door that was by the farthest corner, hidden by another wooden closet, though this one looked much cleaner than the others, if at all possible.

She opened the door and found that it was just another bathroom. After quickly checking the shower stall, she stepped back out and closed the door. She headed for the door, but before she could react, a hand came out and pressed itself against her mouth just as she was about to scream. It came out as a muffled whimper as the person suddenly pulled her into the closet. She struggled a bit but the arms holding her were like iron bands and her assailant was way stronger than her.

The person turned her around and she gasped as she found herself face to face with…

* * *

**Present time, The Burrow…**

Ron was absolutely bored. Luna Lovegood had already left after coming by to say goodbye to him. She was going with her father to Germany for something he couldn't quite recall. He was lying on the couch, absent-mindedly drumming his fingers on his chest. _Harry and Hermione haven't even owled me at all this summer, I wonder how they're doing… _he thought as he heard the door open.

_Why didn't I accept Luna's invitation to go with her to Germany? It would've been much better than staying here, bored! How could you be so stupid? _He shook his head as other thoughts invaded his mind. _Why is it that whenever I'm bored all these thoughts come to me! _he thought, amused at himself.

"Wow Ron! You look sooo busy," he heard the familiar voice of his little sister, Ginny, say. He rolled his eyes at her sarcasm, "What is it now Ginny?" he asked her, quite annoyed. She stuck out his tongue to him as she sat down on the couch, next to him. He answered back by mock scowling at her. She giggled, "Oh Ron! I know you love me too much to hate me big brother," she said, hugging him lightly.

Ron's cheeks turned a slight pink at that gesture as she let go of him. "Anyway, I was just wondering if you could take some time away from your _'busy'_ schedule and accompany me to Diagon Alley!" she explained to him, smiling wildly. He thought about it for a while, "Does mom know?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at her. "Yeah…though she said I could only go if _you_ came along," she replied, still smiling.

"Please, please, please, please, please?" she said, pestering him for a few minutes. "I don't think I want to go…" he said sarcastically, making her scowl at him. "You're coming or I'm going to give you nail polish when your sleeping!" she hissed, her face dead serious when he looked at it for a sign of her joking. _She isn't joking then… great! Now it's either… nail polish or go with her to Diagon Alley… _he looked at her again.

"Why are we going there?" he asked after a while. "I'm meeting with a few friends AND going shopping," she said matter-of-factly at him. "You have FRIENDS?" he muttered at her, placing a surprised look on his face. She hit him on the shoulder lightly as he started to laugh. "Are you coming or not?" she asked him seriously, tapping her foot. He nodded reluctantly at her. "Oh alright! Just stop bloody pestering me already!" he said, though he grinned at her.

She smiled back, "Thanks bro!" she replied to him, kissing him on the cheek and running into the kitchen to tell their mother. Just then Bill arrived, along with Mr. Weasley, and the twins themselves. "Molly, just came from an Order meeting," Ron heard him say but he didn't talk about anything else. "Ready?" Ginny asked him, her eyes sparkling with delight.

He rolled his eyes and nodded, "Yeah Ginny," he said to her, though he looked at his father questionably as he seemed to be quite sadder and more exhausted than ever. "Have fun dears!" he heard their mother call out from the kitchen. They took some floo powder and went to Diagon Alley…

* * *

**Two minutes later, just outside the Burrow… **

A hooded figure stood in front of ten Death Eaters, who also wore hoods. "The Dark Lord calls you to do a raid today. We must not fail him. Kill EVERYONE," he told them, emphasizing greatly when he said the word 'everyone'. They all nodded, respecting the man in front of them. "Let us go!" he hissed as they quickly went into their positions, surrounding the house.

He muttered something and pointed his wand at the sky. Again, the Dark Mark appeared in the sky, though it was still a bit too bright to notice it. They all looked at each other, then to the man who seemed to be their leader. He nodded at them, pointing his own wand at the Burrow. At the same time, as though they had rehearsed it for a few days, they muttered, _"Incendio!"_ as the spells hit the house, flames engulfed it.

A few minutes later, the entire house was ablaze, it imploded on itself as it crashed down, now just a burning heap of ash, wood, and stone. The man chuckled, whistling to himself as the flames grew higher and stronger. He smiled as they apparated one by one, until he was the only one left. With a smirk, he spat towards the flames and sent a dark look at the burning house, and then he apparated as well…

* * *

Hermione found herself face to face with… none other than _Harry James Potter_. He looked at her expression with unhidden amusement. Her mouth was wide open and her eyes staring at him in disbelief. "Harry James Potter, how _dare _you scare me like that! Don't you…" she was saying before Harry interrupted her by suddenly leaning in and planting a soft, tender kiss on her lips, making her stop, her eyes going even wider.

He grinned recklessly as he looked at her chocolate brown eyes. He laughed when she shook her head and suddenly lean away from him, "Wha-wha-what was _that _for!" she asked him, confused. All these emotions ran around her mind. _He kissed me! Oh my God, he actually kissed me! _she thought as she looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. She felt her stomach do another back flip as her heart literally leaped up to her throat and back. She blushed madly and so did he.

_You kissed your best mate! – gee… I did? _he answered the other voice in his head sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "Because… because I wanted to Hermione…" he replied, giving her a lopsided grin, flashing his perfect white teeth at her. Hermione blinked, _because he WANTED to? What did he think of this, some kind of challenge for himself? To KISS ME? Giving me all these emotions just because…? _she thought, getting a bit angry.

_Oh c'mon Granger! You loved it! _a small voice in the back of her head screamed out at her. She blushed a deeper shade of red as she shook her head again. "Well… do-don't do that again Harry," she told him, trying to mask all the feelings that were going through her. _I just CAN'T do this right now… _she wanted to say, but she kept it in. Harry looked at her, masking his feelings with perfect ease. He resisted the urge to gather her up in his arms and kiss her more passionately.

"Sorry…" he muttered, looking down, feeling sad and rejected. He felt a stinging feeling in his eyes as they watered. He looked away from her, not wanting her to see that he was hurt. She saw it though. She reached up a hand and cupped Harry's right cheek, turning his face towards her. A single tear had fallen on is cheek. She brushed it away with her thumb as they both stared at each other's eyes.

_His eyes are… beautiful… _she thought, getting lost in those emerald green orbs of his. He grinned sheepishly at her, looking at her eyes and seeing something there, something he couldn't quite place. He felt his skin tingle wherever her hand touched his cheek. "I-I'm sorry Harry… I… I didn't…I didn't mean to hurt you or anything…" she explained to him as their faces came closer. Now their faces were no more than inches apart.

"You didn't like… the kiss?" he asked, hurt evident in his eyes. She also so a bit of love, affection, care, and longing in them but then they were gone, masked behind his emerald eyes. "I did…" she whispered. "Because if you didn't…I can try again," he whispered back, smiling as he blushed wildly again. They leaned into each other, Harry's right clasped the back of her neck as his other hand went around her waist.

She put both of her hands around Harry's neck as they leaned in to kiss. The kiss was more passionate, longer, and better than the one earlier. _Oh, this is Heaven! Just being in his arms, I… I feel so… so safe… as if nothing will… ever harm me when I'm with him… _she thought as they broke apart from each other, breathing heavily. He smiled at her mischievously as he began tickling her madly. She laughed so hard, barely able to say "Stop it Harry!" as she began swatting at his arms.

He stopped as she hit her head on the inside of the cabinet, she groaned as her hand shot up and rubbed a spot on her head. He pulled her to him into an embrace as she buried her face into his muscular chest. He could smell the sweet scent of… _strawberries_ in her hair as he kissed the spot that she had hurt. He rested his head on her's as they both sat there, in each other's arms.

"Hermione?" he whispered a moment later. "Hmm?" she whispered back at him, looking up at his face as he looked down at her. "I think we should go now, Kaji is still waiting to be found," he said, smiling at her as she remembered that he was still hiding somewhere. "Oh gosh! I forgot!" she said frantically as she pulled away from Harry and opened the doors of the cabinet, stumbling out.

She fixed herself, dusting some dirt off her clothes as she looked back at Harry. He was looking at her, smiling slightly. A smile tugged at her lips as he winked at her, "Go find him and maybe I'll give you another kiss…" he said in a sexy voice. She giggled, "Oh, I would rather kiss a troll," she said, rolling her eyes at his shocked expression. He ran a hand through his hair as she flicked her hair over her shoulder, "I was just kidding Harry!" she told him as she headed out of the room, shaking her hips a bit more.

He grinned at her retreating form, looking her over. _Damn that was nice… _he thought to himself as he got out of the closet and stretched. _At least I know that I… I do love her… and I do like her… _he walked out of the room, beaming brightly…

* * *

She walked right across to the other room and closed the door. She looked around and gasped aloud. _It's…It's a LIBRARY! _she thought as she walked along the aisles. _These books must be good ones too, they look quite old and expensive as well… _she walked along another aisle. Then out of nowhere, someone jumped in front of her, "BOO!" the figure screamed.

She screamed herself, stumbling to the floor in panic as she looked to see who it was. Her expression relaxed as she saw who it was. Kaji stared down at her, chuckling to himself as he extended a hand to help her up. "Very funny Kaji…" she said to him as she took the hand. But instead of having herself pulled up, she yanked down hard, causing him to fall onto the floor next to her.

He scowled at her as he pushed himself up, shaking his head disbelievingly. She laughed this time, looking at him as he glared at her. Though she knew he was kidding, she did feel a bit guilty, though she didn't know why. "Want to be helped up now? Or are you just going to pull me down again?" he asked her, looking at her with a slight grin.

She looked up at his dark brown eyes as she nodded, "Yeah, I think I'm ready to get up now," she said as she raised her hand. He rolled his eyes and suddenly picked her up instead of pulling her up. "Kaji!" she protested at him as he just grinned. He put her on her feet, looking at her blankly. She shifted her weight, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Found you…" she whispered, looking up to his eyes. He laughed, "Really now?" he asked sarcastically as he leaned against one of the bookshelves. "Pretty big library huh?" he asked her out of the blue. "Yeah…" she replied, nodding as she looked around once again. "I think Dobby said something about cleaning it soon, so I think you should be able to use it pretty soon," he told her as he walked over to the end of the aisle.

He then walked to the door as he looked at her and waved her over. _Such a gentleman… STOP IT! you like Harry now, remember? _she asked herself, though she couldn't quite answer herself at that moment. Suddenly, just as she arrived next to him, the door flew open as Harry appeared at the doorway, wand raised. "Are you okay?" he blurted out, eyes darting around the room, finally coming to rest at both of them.

He raised his eyebrow, looking at them suspiciously, especially at Hermione, who couldn't quite meet his gaze right now. "Yeah, I just scared the wits out of her…" Kaji replied, chuckling again. Harry, squinted at him suspiciously, but then he shrugged, nodding and smiling at the same time. "Oh alright, why don't we…" he said but was interrupted when the doorbell rang rather annoyingly a few times.

"Wonder who that could be… last one down buys me an ice cream in Diagon Alley!" Hermione said, racing past the two of them and running down the stairs. Harry and Kaji looked at each other and raced down as well. They almost ran into Hermione who stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the door. It was Mrs. Weasley and the twins, burns, bruises and cuts all over them. "Oh my!" Dobby squeaked as Fred fell onto the floor by the door, sprawled there unconscious.

George fell onto his knees, trembling and very weak. Mrs. Weasley was worse than them, but she stood there, her eyes bloodshot as countless tears formed and fell. They were all covered in ash, soot, and debris, as they suddenly smelt like smoke. "Mrs. Weasley…?" Hermione called out to them, making her look up. "Hermione… get Dumbledore…" she croaked, before she too fell onto her knees and then onto her side, unconscious…

* * *

"Hey Ginny!" a brunette girl ran up to them as they walked towards the Leaky Cauldron, where they were supposedly meeting up with her friends. "Hi Kara!" she greeted her, hugging her like they were sisters. Ron rolled his eyes, evidently bored as he looked around. Not many people were in Diagon Alley right now; one reason was because of Voldemort. Another reason was because it wasn't school time yet, which usually was 'high' season.

Just before they were about to talk while standing there, Ron interrupted them. "C'mon Ginny, you can talk on the way there _and _when we get there _and _when we go to wherever we are going okay?" he said to her, twitching his mouth in boredom and irritation. _Why did I ever come anyway? _he asked himself as Ginny exchanged amusing looks with Kara. They nodded and burst into giggles, and then they started talking as they walked on.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. He looked at Ginny, making sure she was still in deep conversation before moving away from them to take a peek through one of the shop windows. The shop was **Quidditch Quality Supplies **and sure enough, what had caught his eye was none other than a new broom model being displayed. _This new broom looks wicked! _he thought, thankful that Ginny had brought him here so that he would be able to see it first before any of the other guys.

He looked at the piece of paper right below it:

_The Lightningbolt- Made by Dragonflame Broom Industries, it is the fastest broom to date. It can go from 0-90 mph in 6 seconds. It is faster and lighter than the Firebolt, which is now currently the second fastest broom model in the world. Price: 8000 galleons_

Ron gulped at the price, shaking his head. _Keep dreaming Ron, you're never going to get that… _he thought, his heart sinking in disappointment. He looked back again at the broom, and then chased after Ginny. They didn't seem to notice that he had gone since they were still talking heatedly with each other, occasionally laughing when one of them told something funny.

A few minutes later, they reached the Leaky Cauldron and took a table. They ordered a bunch of Hungarian Bloodbeer and some Butterbeer as well. Ron hastily drank both drinks, trying to drown himself and get drunk so that he could forget about how poor they were for a moment and to forget about the fact that he would never be able to own a _Lightningbolt_. Ginny looked at him, concern flashing in her eyes when she saw him drink his third butterbeer and his second Bloodbeer.

"Ron, are you okay?" she asked him worriedly. He waved her off, "Nothin'," he said, though Ginny was still unconvinced. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. "Ronald Weasley, you will tell me what is wrong RIGHT NOW!" she said rather loudly, causing some of the nearby wizards and witches to look at them. "Shut up Ginny! You're making a scene!" Kara hissed, shaking her head when she knew the redhead hadn't listened.

Ron had ordered a Firewhiskey now and Ginny was well aware that something was troubling him. She shook it off as she thought of attacking him later, when he was quite drunk. She caught sight of two more of her friends run to her. Hannah Abott, a Hufflepuff, and Leah Turki, a fourth year Gryffindor, all ran to them and took the remaining seats. They all greeted Ginny, flashing smiles and giving her a wave.

Ron groaned as he gulped the last of his Firewhiskey. They all turned to look at him, slight amusement in their eyes. "Ginny?" Hannah whispered to her, leaning over so that Ginny was the only one who could hear as the rest of the others talked with each other. "Yeah?" she asked, slightly irritated for some reason. "Is your brother okay?" she replied, looking at Ron for a few seconds, who had started hiccupping.

"I don't know…" she said, her voice trailing, as she couldn't fathom as to why her brother was acting like this. She stood, ran to the other side of the table, and yanked Ron away with her. Pulling him to a corner she sighed as he looked at her in a slightly drunk manner. "Gi-Ginny?" he asked, hiccupping right afterwards. "Yeah you dumbass! Listen, why are you acting like this? Care to tell me?" she snapped at him, putting her hands to her hips as she glared at him.

He looked slightly sad as he replied, "I… I don't know – hic – I guess it's because – hic – when I saw that – hic – new broom in the window, I suddenly – hic – knew I couldn't buy it because – hic – WE'RE SO DAMN POOR!" he bellowed the last four words, trembling. _Geez, he's more drunk than I thought… _she thought as she suddenly hugged her brother.

"Shh… don't worry bro… don't think that because we don't have a lot of money that we are poor!" she told him quietly. Ron just sobbed silently into her shoulder, bending a little to do so, letting the tears fall. She rubbed his back, caring for him as he was suddenly down in the dumps. He muttered something and he could only catch something about _Luna Lovegood_.

"Ron, I think we should go home…" she quietly told him, realizing that Ron can't go on at this state and that he needed some rest. "Wait here okay? I'll go tell my friends," she told him as she pulled back, running over to her friends and explaining the situation. "Yeah sure Ginny! We'll take you up on a rain check then," they said, winking at her. "Take care of your brother!" they called out to her as they left. She grinned back at them, only to find that they were smiling back.

"I love you – hic – Gin…" he said drunkenly. Ginny shook her head in amusement, stifling a laugh, "I love you too knucklehead! Just because your drunk, I'll let it pass that you called me Gin!" she told him off playfully, laughing as he gave her a confused look. She suddenly pulled out a bag and went into Gringotts. She led him to the first door to their right, heading in. There was already a line as people were lined up, facing a fireplace.

"Wow, lots – hic – of people – hic – now…" Ron barely said the words clearly as he suddenly leaned heavily on Ginny, weaving in and out of sleep. "Ther yeh ar'!" a familiar voice came from behind them. Ginny looked behind them as they saw Hagrid's tall figure beckoning at them. With much effort, Ginny finally managed to bring herself and Ron to Hagrid.

Hagrid looked at Ron curiously and questioningly at Ginny. "Don't worry, it's something foolish…" she said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, I tho' yeh knew an' that's why Ron 'ere is drunk," he said very seriously. "Knew what Hagrid?" she asked, curious. "Oh! Erm…well, I ain't the one toh tell yeh…" he said, trailing off.

"C'mon then!" he grinned at them, changing the subject. He picked Ron up easily, putting him over his shoulder as he put his arm around Ginny. They walked up to a Goblin, who in turn, looked up at them questioningly. "Requestin' private floo travel toh 'ogwarts!" he told the Goblin confidently.

The Goblin looked at them, doing nothing at first, before he suddenly wrote a few things on a piece of parchment and handed it to Hagrid. "Sign at the bottom, you will need to pay a Galleon a person please," he informed Hagrid, giving him a quill. Hagrid nodded, giving the Goblin the money. He signed on the line and gave both the quill and the parchment back to the Goblin.

He looked it over, "Well sir, please step through the door over here to my right. Give this form to the Goblin inside, his name should be Nemac, he'll know what to do," he dismissed them, nodding at Hagrid before returning to his work. Hagrid muttered a thanks and walked over to the door. He yanked it open, helping (though more like pushing) Ginny inside with his big hand.

Sure enough, a Goblin was waiting there, giving floo powder to a five witches and a wizard who laughed at something the wizard had said. One by one, they left via floo powder through the fireplace. Hagrid grinned at the Goblin who had tipped his hat at them. "Good day sirs, ma'am," he said, nodding at Ginny. "Form?" he asked, extending his hand to Hagrid, who was clutching the piece of parchment.

"'ere yeh go," he said, giving the Goblin the parchment. He looked it over and then smiled, taking out a bag of floo powder. "Very well then, the paperwork is set. Please take a handful. If you do not know what to do, just ask," he said politely, offering them the bag. Hagrid took a handful, so did Ginny. "We're going to Hogwarts Hagrid?" she asked, giving the half-giant a surprised look.

Hagrid nodded, looking very sad. "Yeh go firs' then," he told her, motioning for her to get into the fireplace. "Hogwarts!" she said aloud, the green flames enveloping her. Hagrid crouched in, and did the same thing…

* * *

**-flashback-**

Dumbledore looked out of his window as he saw the silhouette of an owl head towards him. He smiled slightly, as he saw who it was. He opened the window, letting the white owl fly in and perch itself next to Fawkes, who looked at the owl. Hedwig hooted, extending a leg at him. He opened it, reading it carefully. As soon as he had finished, he reread it again.

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_Mrs. Weasley, and Fred and George Weasley are currently here. They were attacked by Death Eaters a while ago. I don't know where Mr. Weasley and the rest of the Weasleys are since I couldn't get any information out of them right now. They are sleeping, though there are a number of bruises, cuts, and burns on them. I don't know about this but I have a feeling that Voldemort is planning on doing something big._

_Just before she passed out, Mrs. Weasley asked me to call for you. Please come, if you have any word on the others, especially Ron, please do tell us._

_Harry_

Dumbledore's eyes widened a bit, staring at the letter in utter disbelief. _You are moving faster than I thought Tom… _he gathered Hedwig into his arms and told the owl to call for Hagrid. She hooted in agreement as she flew out of the open window. Soon after, she came back and landed on Fawkes' perch again. Dumbledore conjured a bowl of water with a flick of his wand, which Hedwig drank greedily, hooting her thanks at him before flying off.

The door suddenly opened as Hagrid came thundering in, umbrella in hand. "Proffessor Dumbledore sir! I tho' yeh might be in trouble…" he tried to explain, slightly embarrassed at what he did. Dumbledore smiled, "It is alright Hagrid. Your unwavering loyalty surprises me though," he said, motioning for Hagrid to sit down. He sat, still a bit embarrassed. The sat buckled under his immense weight, but held.

"Hagrid, do not react violently, but the Weasleys were attacked today," Dumbledore informed him, raising his hand when he saw Hagrid's eyes widen as he was about to say something, though he stopped, looking at Dumbledore's raised hand, nodding. "Lemon drop? Quite calming really, it helps," Dumbledore offered, taking one himself. Hagrid shook his head as he contemplated that piece of information.

He told him about what had happened, about Mrs. Weasley appearing with Fred and George all battered and bruised. Hagrid just kept nodding, trying to make himself believe that it wasn't true. "Anyway, I would like you to try and find the rest of the Weasleys," Dumbledore told him, a sad twinkle in his eyes. Hagrid nodded yet again, "I think you should start by searching in Diagon Alley…" Dumbledore suggested, placing his hands on the desk.

"I won't fail yeh Professor Dumbledore sir," was all he said before he used some floo powder to get there, arriving at Gringotts, where at the present time he found Ron and Ginny. Dumbledore sighed to himself, looking over at Fawkes. "You know Fawkes, this war is getting out of hand. I do hope we can end it soon," he told the Phoenix, who was looking intently at him. As if on cue, a soothing song erupted from the Phoenix. A beautiful song that calmed Dumbledore down, that twinkle never leaving his eyes…

**-flashback end-**

**

* * *

Present time…**

Dumbledore was about to leave for Grimmauld Place when the flames to his fireplace suddenly erupted. Out stepped Ginny, quickly followed by Hagrid, who accidentally hit his head in the fireplace. He rubbed his forehead as he walked over to the headmaster. "I think Ron 'ere needs ter go to the Hospital Wing Professor Dumbledore sir," he said, concerned for the redhead's health. Dumbledore nodded, gesturing for him to proceed. Hagrid quickly left for the Hospital Wing.

"Professor Dumbledore, is everything all right?" Ginny asked, breaking Dumbledore out of his thoughts. "Oh, yes and no dear child…" he said, confusing her. "What's wrong sir?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Dumbledore smiled weakly, a sad look in his eyes, "You will find out soon enough, come, we need to go," he told her, getting up and walking out.

A few minutes later, they were off the school grounds, heading for Hogsmeade. Then, without warning, Dumbledore grabbed hold of Ginny's shoulder. "Ms. Weasley, please hold on tightly," he told her, a calm and reassuring tone in his voice as he sensed some nervousness in the redhead. She did as told, taking hold of the hem of his robes tightly. Suddenly, something tugged at her navel as they disapparated.

They arrived in front of Twelve Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore hastily walked forward, long confident strides betraying his age. He knocked on the door, a slightly grim but calm expression on his face. The door opened to reveal Dobby, who had the usual three hats on and a tea cozy with mismatched socks on his feet. "Terrible things sir, terrible…" Dobby muttered, bowing as he opened the door some more.

Dumbledore stepped in, quickly followed by Ginny, who looked more confused than usual. "Yes Dobby, I'm afraid that terrible things are happening and are still yet to happen…" Dumbledore said to himself under his breath as they were led to a room right after the parlor room. There were around ten beds in here, almost as if this was meant to be a mini-clinic of some sort.

Ginny stood right next to Dumbledore, dumbfounded. Her eyes were wide, staring at the three occupied beds. Her feet were planted to the ground. She couldn't move, her jaw dropping to the floor, as she couldn't believe her eyes. Tears suddenly flowed freely as she immediately ran forward to the first bed, where Mrs. Weasley lay. "Mu-mu-mu-mum?" she said in between sobs, shaking her head, not wanting to believe what happened.

She turned around, looking at Dumbledore for an explanation. "I will tell you later my dear," he said, anticipating her reaction correctly as she stood, anger getting the better of her. "WHAT? TELL ME LATER? WHEN MY MOTHER AND MY BROTHERS ARE HERE! UNCONSCIOUS, BRUISED, AND BURNED? HOW CAN YOU NOT TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED?" she burst out at him. Dumbledore looked quite calm, which made her angrier.

Harry, Kaji, and Hermione suddenly ran into the room. Seeing Ginny, Hermione quickly ran towards her and enveloped her into a hug as the young redhead broke down into her arms. Sobbing relentlessly as more tears flowed from her already swollen eyes. She glared at Dumbledore before burying her head into Hermione's shoulder, grief and shock taking over.

"Kaji, call Lupin and Tonks. Go to Hogwarts and get Madam Pomfrey, tell her it is of the utmost importance that she gets here immediately," Dumbledore told him. Kaji blinked, obviously not paying attention, "I'm sorry Professor, what did you say?" he asked politely. Dumbledore slightly smiled at him, repeating what he said. Kaji nodded, glancing at Hermione and Ginny, then at the occupied beds, then at Harry, then back to the Headmaster.

"Alright sir," he replied, leaving the house through the front door and apparating from the front steps that led up to the door. Dobby closed the door and disappeared, going back to cleaning the huge library upstairs. Dumbledore looked at the scene in front of him, rubbing his beard absent-mindedly. Harry walked out of the room and sat by the fireplace, not wanting to talk to the old wizard and most definitely trying to escape from the sadness of the room.

Dumbledore sighed, looking again at Hermione, who still had Ginny in her arms. He looked at Mrs. Weasley, grief flashed for a second in his eyes before it disappeared and he put on a calm face. _I cannot look weak in front of the children, they are already quite shaken up and seeing me grieve as well, as much as I want to, will only make them lose some of their already faltering hope… _he reasoned with himself, though he knew there was another reason why he wasn't doing so.

Madam Pomfrey arrived, looking very worried as she saw them. She looked at Dumbledore questioningly, though he returned her look with a frown. She nodded as she went to work, trying to patch them up and heal them. After a few minutes, Ginny went up to Hermione's room along with Hermione herself. Harry fell into sleep on the couch by the fire. The doorbell rang and in came Kaji. "They'll get here soon Professor," was all he said before he too went upstairs.

Madam Pomfrey approached Dumbledore, quite sad. "Albus, is… Arthur…?" she asked, not completing what she was saying. Dumbledore nodded, "I am afraid so Poppy, along with the rest of the family I think," he said rather sadly, his frown deepening. A tear escaped from Madam Pomfrey's eye which she hastily wiped away as she sniffed. "God help us Albus," she said, turning away to tend to the Weasleys. _God help us indeed_… he thought as he walked into the parlor room and sat down, deep in thought…

* * *

**WOW! **This is one of the longest chapters I have ever made! 8000 words on this one chapter alone. I guess Chapter Three isn't the longest chapter after all! Hehehe! Anyway, how did you like it? I wasn't quite sure, though this is one of chapters without much action and a bit more… romance… hehe! Happy a bit now **Dreamergirl86**? I do hope I receive more reviews from more people this time! Thanks for the support. I wont write another chapter unless I see more reviews! (**YES**! I _am_ **EVIL**! Hahahaha!)

Hitman


	5. Most Memorable Birthday part I

Hmm…well, I decided to write Chapter Five now! So without further ado, here it is! I would like to personally thank you _**Dreamergirl86**_ for giving me all those reviews! Where is everyone else :)

**NOTICE: AGAIN, I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS/AREAS EXCEPT for those that I WILL CREATE (like Kaji/Jen /those Death Eaters' name-well some of their names...etc..)**

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Most Memorable Birthday – Part I**

It had been two days since that awful day when the Weasleys were attacked. Fred was up and about, though he sometimes winced in pain every now and then if he did something, he was doing fine. George on the other hand still hadn't woken up. He was still in a _coma_ as Madam Pomfrey put it. Mrs. Weasley woke up around ten in the morning on the second day, still very weak.

She opened her eyes. She tried to put a hand up to block the bright light but she found that she couldn't even move her hand. She shivered, as she felt cold and sweaty for some reason. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the light. "Gi-Ginny?" she said, the redhead barely able to hear her. She widened her already bloodshot eyes in delight. "Mother!" she screamed, running to her from the chair she was sitting on right next to the bed.

She hugged her with all her might. She couldn't bear to lose her mother, not now, not now when… when her father was… gone… Tears began to form in her eyes as she held the weak and fragile form of her mother. It was shocking to see that the once strong and proud woman was in this state. She let out a small smile as she tried to return her daughter's hug.

"Ho-how long have I… been here?" she asked, "And where…where IS here?" she continued in a barely audible whisper. Ginny never let go of her mother, burying her face in her shoulder. "Mum! I thought… I thought I was going to lose you too…" she cried out, a new round of sobs taking over. "It's…it's okay Ginny dear," she tried to comfort her. "You've been sleeping for two days straight! You had us all worried…" she told her, looking up for a split second before burying her face in her mother's shoulder again.

Then it hit her. All the memories came back. The fire, Arthur screaming something, her grabbing the twins and apparating just before the entire house collapsed, and then appearing at the first place she thought of just before apparating. Right in front of Grimmauld Place. Her eyes became glassy as tears began to form threateningly. "Oh…Arthur!" she cried out, her heart breaking in two as the realization that her husband was gone hit her.

It felt like her heart was being ripped to pieces and then burned and impaled onto a stake. Her one true love, gone…. Gone because of Voldemort! _I will make sure your death comes SWIFTLY VOLDEMORT! YOU BASTARD! _she thought, letting the tears run down her cheek, not wanting to hold them back. Then, she gathered herself together, trying to shake the memories away. "The…the twins? Where are they?" she asked, her motherly concern evident in her weak voice.

"Fred is up but… but George is in something called a _coma_," she told her, not wanting to lie. Mrs. Weasley just lay there, shocked, sad, and heartbroken. "Molly!" cried Madam Pomfrey, who had entered the room. "You're awake! Ginny! Ginny, get off your mother so I can see how she is doing!" she told the young girl, who complied. She smiled at her, "Poppy, so good to see you," she said, coughing a bit.

"Now, now Molly… don't talk! We need to feed you soon, you are way too weak," she replied, though she smiled as well. She shook her head after seeing her, she took out her wand, and after a few wand motions and after she had muttered the spell, a tray of food appeared on Mrs. Weasley's lap. "Thanks Poppy," she muttered, before she surprisingly found herself devouring the food hastily. _Just like my little Ronniekins… _she thought humorously.

Then, she stopped, "Ginny… where's Ron?" she asked nervously, looking at Ginny with a slightly scared look. "He's fine mom, he is currently sleeping right now. Madam Pomfrey brought him with her when she arrived two days ago," she told he, shifting her position in the chair. "He had a _very _bad hangover yesterday, so he didn't do or say that much," she continued.

"I expect him to be up and about shortly, probably going to ask where the food is…" she said more to herself as she giggled at her brother's known attitude. Mrs. Weasley nodded, smiling weakly and resisting the urge to laugh as well. _Ron will never change… _she said, shaking her head as she ate the food in front of her. "Molly, for a moment there you had me worried!" a familiar voice called out from the doorway.

She looked up and saw Remus Lupin accompanied by Albus Dumbledore. "Remus, I'm fine," she told him in a matter-of-factly tone of voice. Lupin rolled his eyes, "Really now? Would you call sleeping for two days and having everyone worry… _fine?_" he asked sarcastically. Ginny stifled a round of laughter as her mother mock glared at Lupin, who grinned back at her. "Good to see you up and about Molly," Dumbledore said, reminding her of his presence.

"Thank you Albus," she replied, finishing her food after a few minutes of silence. Dumbledore raised his wand, flicking it, and then the tray of food disappeared. "Ginny, would you please… excuse us?" Lupin asked her, motioning towards the door by moving his head to the right. Ginny nodded, understanding the situation. "Well mom, I'll be back later. Good to see your up again!" she said happily as she hugged her again and left the room, making sure to close the doors silently…

* * *

"Seriously, where did you learn to play chess like that Kaji?" Ron asked for the fifth time. Ron _almost_ lost _again _to Kaji, after their third match. "Oh… I just learned it from a friend last year. He was pretty fond of the game, though I wasn't as ecstatic about it as he was…" he replied casually, flicking his wand to reset the chess pieces. "Anyway, where did _you_ learn how to play chess? You're amazing at this!" Kaji exclaimed as he moved his pawn forward. 

Ron moved his pawn forward as well, already thinking of his next three moves. "I dunno… I just got the hang of it I guess…" he shrugged, looking to see who would win when Kaji attacked his pawn with his own pawn. Kaji won, though he scowled when Ron's knight sliced the pawn in half. "Ron is brilliant at wizard chess, I have never seen him lose a game," Hermione informed him, watching on, though she didn't cheer for anyone.

Harry, who had slept rather late last night for some reason, was still sleeping. They were in Hermione's room, just hanging out. Fifteen minutes later, "Hah! Won again!" Ron exclaimed, raising his hands in triumph. Kaji looked at Hermione, who half shrugged at him. He grinned and shook his head, "That's enough wizard's chess for me," he said, standing up. Suddenly, Ron's stomach gave a growl.

He too stood, looking slightly embarrassed at that, and then he started to pack his game. Ginny burst into the room, eyes full of joy as she smiled, revealing her nice white teeth. "Mom's awake!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down while still keeping that smile. Kaji gave her a lopsided grin as Hermione rushed forward and hugged Ginny, "That's great Ginny!" she said, stepping back.

"Really? Is she okay? I'll go see her!" he said, walking towards the door, but Ginny blocked his path. "Gin?" he asked confused, scratching the back of his head. "She's talking with Professor Dumbledore and Lupin. I don't think you can talk to her anytime soon…" she stated, crossing her arms. Ron nodded, "Oh," he said before walking around Ginny and going downstairs.

"Well, I'm having breakfast," he said as he went down the stairs. "I'm eating as well, I feel rather hungry today," Kaji said, running down the stairs, two steps at a time. "Have you eaten yet Hermione?" Ginny asked, standing with her best girl friend. She shook her head, "No, I should go down and eat as well. Though I was waiting for Harry…" she said, her voice trailing off.

Ginny looked at her suspiciously, _Does she like Harry? _she thought as she hid her feelings from the brown eyed girl. "Well, you should eat you know! You don't have to wait for Harry, he's still asleep anyway…" she said, dragging a reluctant Hermione down the stairs to the kitchen. _What is up with Ginny? _she asked herself, noticing how she had tensed up when she had said that she was waiting for Harry.

_Must be my imagination… _she sat down right next to Ron, across from Kaji. Both boys eating, though Ron ate more greedily and didn't care about any manners. Hermione shook her head, _that's Ron alright! _She giggled a bit, looking at Ginny who seemed to also think the same thing, smiling at Hermione but shaking her head when she looked at Ron. "So, what do you want to do today…?" Ginny asked, twirling a fork in her hands.

Ron shrugged slightly, still piling the food into his mouth hastily. "I dunno…" Kaji said, eating much, much slower than Ron. Hermione looked at him, then at Ginny. Both were looking expectantly at her. She grinned, looking back at Kaji, "Hide and Seek?" she asked, giggling when she heard him groan. "Fine…I'm up for it… though I think we should wait for Harry," he scowled at her as she grinned at him again.

"Talking about me?" Harry asked as he came into the room, looking quite groggy. "You look awful mate," Ron told him, before shoveling more food into his mouth. Harry chuckled, taking a seat and putting some food into his plate as well. "So, we decided to play Hide and Seek again, care to join us Harry?" Kaji asked, nudging him with his elbow. Harry grinned mischievously, looking at Hermione. She blushed instantly and looked down, remembering that moment in the closet. She bit her lip, _is he thinking of doing it again?_

Harry, upon seeing this, tried to stop himself from laughing. He succeeded in making his laugh pretty weak, though Hermione noticed and immediately glared at him, her cheeks still a bit reddish. Kaji saw all of it, and though he seemed to like Hermione, he saw that she and Harry seemed to… _click_ or something like that. He laughed lightly. Hermione looked at him in utter horror, thinking that he had found out about what she and Harry did.

_Grr… Harry must have told him… the git… _she glared at him. He looked back at her in confusion, not knowing why she was glaring at him. He shrugged, turning back to Ginny who was teasing Ron again. Hermione just shook her head, "Ugh… he can really be a git sometimes…" she said, loud enough for Kaji and Ron to hear. Both of them looked at her curiously, Ron grinning and Kaji smiling as well. They looked at each other and started laughing. At that moment, she wished that the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

"Anyway, about Hide and Seek," Kaji started, gaining control of himself after that outburst of laughter. Everyone raised their heads at him, even Ron, who was almost finished with his breakfast. "Who wants to play?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips as everyone raised their hands. "The thing is, who wants to be… 'it'?" he asked them again, still slightly smiling. "I don't want to!" Ron retorted, a look of utter horror on his face, as if he had seen the biggest spider in his life.

They all laughed at this, just as Ron's ears started to get red. He mumbled something they didn't catch, though none of them asked what it was. "Hmm…" Harry thought. Suddenly, Harry nudged Kaji with his shoulder and leaned closer to him. "Why don't you be it for once?" he asked, whispering to his ear. He thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. "Fine, since you're all a bunch of sissies, I'll be 'it'," he told them. They laughed again as Ron said something about not being a sissy.

"Alright…" he said, immediately putting his head down and counting to thirty right then and there. "One..two..three..four..five..six.." he counted quite fast, smirking as he heard no movement, knowing that they were shocked that he started so fast and was now halfway through counting. They bolted, not bothering to right their chairs just as Ron's and Hermione's suddenly fell over…

* * *

The game was fun, Harry succeeding to scare the wits out of Kaji by hiding onto one of the rafters in the attic and jumping down on him when he passed under him. They were still laughing at that when they all came down to hang out in the parlor room. He was growling at them, glaring slightly at Harry, though he found himself laughing along after a while. 

Ron suddenly saw his mother, sitting on the couch, eyes closed. "Mum!" he said, _I completely forgot about her! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! _He ran over to her, enveloping her in a huge bear hug. "Ron! She can't breathe!" Ginny practically screamed, pulling Ron off their mother. She was crying when Ron let go, "Ron…oh dear!" she said, this time it was her who pulled him into a bear hug. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry!" she started ranting on.

"For what?" Ginny and Ron asked together. "For…for not taking your father with me…" she said, breaking down once again. The siblings looked at each other, exchanging knowing looks. Ron walked over to Kaji, Harry, and Hermione. "Guys, could you…ummm…leave us for a moment?" he asked them, unsure of how they would react. Surprisingly, they agreed and immediately left.

"Well, I need to do something. I will be in Diagon Alley if anyone asks," Kaji told them just before heading out the door, Dobby following in his wake as the house-elf closed the door. They walked upstairs silently, unsure of what to say to each other. _Why am I feeling shy and awkward with him? I've never felt that way before! _She scrunched her eyebrows together, thinking hard. She stole a glance at him and found that his green orbs were looking at her own coffee brown ones.

She felt lost in them, diving into the sea of green. It took all her self-control and strength to keep from rushing to him and crushing him in a hug and snogging him senseless. She shook her head at the thought, a sly mischievous grin coming to her lips, _that does sound like a good idea… _she thought, _NO! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts! Don't think of that, no! _she shook her head to clear the thoughts away. She bit her lip, _I mean, he did kiss me…but… does he really feel that way or was it some kind of spur of the moment thing?_

Harry suddenly smiled at her, revealing perfect white teeth. "Oh, what are you smiling at?" she asked him in a rather irritated tone. He flashed another smile and ran a hand through his hair, making him look even sexier. She tried even harder to resist from jumping him. "Its just that… I love the way you bite your lip like that…" he said, stepping closer to her. She suddenly felt the closeness of his body; she suddenly found her shoes to be quite interesting.

He leaned in closer; she took a step back, startled out of her thoughts. He looked quite concerned, "Did…did I do something wrong? I mean… if you… don't want…I mean…" he stuttered, trying to explain himself. She giggled, loving how he always seemed to stutter when he was very, _very _nervous and when he was in an embarrassing moment. "Erm…do you want to go to the library upstairs with me? Please?" she suddenly blurted out, sensing the blood rushing to her cheeks as she tried to change the topic.

He seemed quite surprised at this but nodded nonetheless. "Sure," he muttered, following her as she led the way upstairs. Hermione cursed herself, _oh! What did you do? _she thought as she suddenly felt slightly guilty. They arrived at the door leading into the library. She opened it and gasped. It was… _marvelous! _The lovely red and gold curtains were opened, letting the sunlight in through amazingly huge windows.

The red carpeting had golden phoenix' on them as four grand chandeliers suddenly caught her gaze. Sparkling in the sunlight. The bookshelves were bright and shiny, looking like they were brand new. Each and every book gleamed, beckoning to her to read it. "Amazing isn't it?" a voice said softly behind her, startling her out of her marveling.

She turned around to see a smiling Harry, who looked quite handsome as always. "Yeah, it is…" she answered back at him, turning around again and walking towards an aisle. She looked at the books, picking at the one that had caught her eye, **Former Dark Lords and Their Downfall**. _This should be interesting… _she tucked the thick book in her armpit as she walked towards a table. She sat down, placing the book on the table and then patting the seat next to her.

"Care to read with me?" she asked, smiling. He grinned back at her madly, "As long as I'm with you…" he said, causing her to perk up. He walked over and sat next to her, "Bookworm," he teased, she hit him in the shoulder playfully. Sticking her nose up, "I happen to be _proud _that I'm a so-called _bookworm!_" she countered, unable to refuse the urge to stick out her tongue at him. He grinned sheepishly, "Well what book is…" he said, reading the title of the book for the first time.

"Wow, I never knew there _was _a book like this!" he exclaimed, eagerness and curiosity showing. She smiled, "Care to become a fellow bookworm?" she asked, giggling as he nodded. They opened the book and started reading…

* * *

"You have failed…" the dark figure spat at him, red eyes flashing with anger as they glowed brighter. "I-I'm sorry master! Please…please forgive m-me!" he pleaded, totally frightened of the figure in front of him. He was on his knees, begging, "Please…I-I will not fail you again! I would…k-kill myself if I d-did fail you…" he said, still pleading with all his might for mercy. 

"Although you succeeded in killing two of the members of the family, I had specifically told you to kill them ALL," the figure hissed, showing utter dislike for the _pathetic _figure kneeling before him. "I should kill you right now…" he said, a malicious glint in his eye. _This man is insane! If you should call him a…a…man… _the man thought as he shuddered when he heard his voice. "I will give you ONE LAST CHANCE to redeem yourself…" he hissed, scowling at himself for showing mercy.

"Th-thank you m-ma-master!" the man said, wiping his cheeks of the tears that had fallen from the fear he felt. He could feel pure evil radiating from the figure in front of him and he knew that if he failed him, he would die a horrible death. "But first..." the figure said, his red eyes flashing, _"Crucio_!" he bellowed. The man screamed, pain enveloping him as hot, knives tore at him. Then it stopped, he went into a kneeling position again right after, trying to ignore the pain.

"You will coordinate an attack, I will tell you more soon. Now LEAVE my sight…" the figure growled at him, spitting at him again. The man picked himself up and tried to gather himself, bowing, he walked towards the door, feeling the gaze of the other on his back. "Send in Bella…" the figure ordered, saying it rather coldly as he smiled evilly, a plan coming into his mind….

* * *

The week passed by without much incident. George had finally woken up, to the immense relief of the remaining Weasleys. Harry's birthday was coming up soon, July 31 was marked on every calendar of every single friend Harry has. Harry and Hermione had come to a sort of, mutual understanding, now that they found out that they both liked each other. 

July 26, five days before Harry's birthday, the Weasleys, the Grangers, Hermione, Harry, Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, Madam Pomfrey, Kaji, and the rest of the Order members and some other friends like Neville, Luna, Seamus, Dean, and other Hogwarts friends all went to Diagon Alley to celebrate. They were celebrating the return of George from his _deep sleep_.

The celebration was to include a few minutes where they were to remember all those who have passed on, fighting against Voldemort. They all walked into a restaurant named _Crystal Roses_. It was a _very_ expensive place. It was rumored to be one of the best restaurants there was. The headwaiter greeted them and gladly took them to their table. The table was huge, it was probably magically enlarged, or they probably magically stuck tables together.

They all sat and were surprised that there were exactly the same number of seats as there were people. It was quite comfortable, with enough elbowroom to eat without hitting the person next to you. Dumbledore, who had sat at the head of the table, looked at all of them, that unmistakable twinkle in his eye. He then nodded at the headwaiter. The headwaiter clapped twice, and then the food appeared. Everyone's eyes widened as they looked at the amount of food on the table.

It was like all the food in the first feast on the first day back at Hogwarts had been brought here and served to them for there were indeed actual _mountains_ of food. Dumbledore looked at them expectantly, "Well, what are you blokes waiting for? Dig in!" he said in a somewhat un-Dumbledorelike manner. Lupin stared at him from the other end of the table, "Alright, what have you done to Dumbledore and who are you?" he bellowed in mock anger.

They all laughed as they started to eat. Soon enough, they were all done and we're merely talking and catching up with one another. "So, I think we have postponed the burial long enough," Mad-Eye Moody said as he talked with Dumbledore and Lupin. "I agree with Mad-Eye Dumbledore, we should have the burial soon…" Lupin agreed, taking a sip of his Dragon Vodka. Dumbledore nodded, not bothering to answer as he thought about it. "I think, it would be wise to wait…_after_ Harry's birthday…don't you agree Remus?" Dumbledore asked, putting his hands together.

He looked at the former DADA Professor expectantly. Lupin frowned, but nodded in agreement, "I guess you're right, though I do hope he can take it…" he replied, casting a worried glance over to Harry, who was talking with Neville and the Weasley Twins. He looked quite happy, though Lupin knew that deep down inside, he still didn't want to accept that Sirius was dead.

He looked back at the old headmaster, who looks as if he was in deep thought. "I think…that the day after his birthday should be, satisfactory?" Dumbledore asked, leveling his gaze at the old wolf. "Yes, the day after should be fine," he agreed, "but where to hold it?" he asked curiously. "I will tell you tomorrow Remus, for I think I know where. But I must check it first," Dumbledore told him after a moment of thought.

Lupin looked at Harry, smiling when he saw that he was quite happy right now. _I can't wait to give him his…birthday present… _he then took a sip of his drink…

* * *

"So how's the joke shop coming along?" Harry asked George, who smiled back sheepishly. "It's bloody amazing, that's what! We've gotten hundreds and thousands of orders! Even the Ministry is ordering some of our things," he told him excitedly, the joy in his eyes unmistakable. "I do wonder, how on earth did you get the money to start the shop anyway?" Hermione asked, looking at the twins suspiciously. 

"We didn't get it illegally! We…" George said, "just had a very good sponsor…" Fred continued. "Who gave us a _lot_…" George said, grinning, "…of spending money!" Fred finished. Harry, Ron, Kaji, Ginny, and even Hermione laughed along with the twins. "What's so funny?" Neville asked, looking at them. "Nothing!" Fred said, offering some candy, "Want some?" he asked. "Sure! Thanks," Neville replied, grinning greedily as he ate the candy.

Hermione looked at the twins, who gave each other high-fives. She stared at them in utter horror and disbelief, "You didn't…" she started to say, but they cut her off, "We wouldn't!" George stated, trying to be serious, but he couldn't help but laugh. Fred winked at Hermione, who huffed. "Unbelievable!" Hermione muttered under her breath, she looked at Neville.

Neville started to clutch his stomach, as if it was about to explode. His eyes widened as he suddenly started clutching his chest, seeing as his chest didn't rise and fall, Hermione suddenly knew that he couldn't breathe. Neville looked around in shock, unable to talk. She looked at the twins angrily, "Look at what you did! Give him something to cure it!" she said loud enough for Luna and Seamus to hear, suddenly turning their attention to her.

"Look at what who did to who?" Luna asked, very interested. "Nothing! Nothing!" George told them, waving them off to no avail. "Don't worry Hermione, it'll wear off soon," Fred tried to reassure her. She glared even more at them, "He isn't breathing!" she exclaimed. "WHAT?" George blurted out, looking at Neville who indeed was already turning quite blue. Fred whispered something to George, who nodded, looking a bit frightened.

"Neville take this, now!" he whispered to Neville, shoving something in Neville's mouth. He immediately swallowed it, hoping it would work. It did. He started breathing in the air hastily, he could feel his heart pounding, telling him he needed more air. His head suddenly felt like it was about to split in two, as he felt rather dizzy. "Are you okay mate?" Fred asked from over his twin's shoulder.

"Ye-yeah," he said, still out of breath (literally). "Sorry about that, didn't know it would be that strong…" George said guiltily, "Its…okay…" Neville told him, in between breaths. "Thanks! Now, is it okay if you…ummm…not mention this to any of the adults?" Fred asked hopefully. Neville just nodded, unable to speak for a while. "Thanks Neville!" the twins chorused, smiling at each other. Hermione looked at Neville, bewildered.

She was about to say something when she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and immediately looked down, blushing. It was Harry. He leaned forward, his cheek brushing hers, "Let it go Hermione, just for now," he said softly into her ear. He pulled away, smiling at her as she nodded. _I've always been able to speak a lot without hesitation to Harry, why am I acting like this? PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER GRANGER! _She shook her head as she looked up, finding him staring at her.

_Oh why does he have to make me look at his…beautiful emerald eyes… _she looked back at him, giving him a slight smile in response to his. "So…what do you want to do on your birthday Harry?" Ginny asked from across the table, looking at him and then at Hermione. She grinned at Hermione, winking at her suggestively. This made her blush even more.

"I don't know yet actually…" he said after thinking about it. Hermione looked at him, oblivious to the looks Ginny was giving her. He was wearing a collared blue shirt, with baggy dark blue pants. His hair was as messy as always, the way she liked it. She sighed, looking away and taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. Ron looked at her and smiled as well, _Hermione really does like Harry… and vice versa… so why don't they just get it over with and get together? _he asked himself. Shaking his head slightly, he looked back at Ginny who was starting to talk to him about something…

* * *

Those four days passed quickly and without much happening. Soon, Harry found himself walking onto the backyard, the night before his sixteenth birthday. Sirius had bought a lot of land so that he could put an entire Qudditch field, with the help of Lupin, Tonks, and Kingsley. He lay on the grass, looking at the clear sky as the stars started to appear. The moon showed itself after shyly hiding behind a cloud. 

_Sirius…why did you have to go? I…I miss you… it's all my fault… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… _tears formed in his eyes as the memory of that fateful night came back to him…

**-flashback-**

Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix' jet of red light: He was laughing at her "Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius yelled at Bellatrix, his voice echoing across the cavernous room. Suddenly, the second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch…

**-flashback end-**

"SIRIUS!" Harry bellowed, sitting upright. He was sweating like crazy as he noticed that his breathing was quite fast and that his heart was beating like there was no tomorrow. He lay back down, trying to calm himself, though it was to no avail. He started to cry, he didn't care anymore, he wanted to cry until he could cry no more. He had lost the closest thing he had to a father, because… _because of that bitch! _

Anger and grief took hold of him, battling for dominance, though in the end, grief struck him more as he cried even harder. His sobs were getting louder as he remembered the time when Sirius had mentioned that he could stay with him in the summers. He smiled at the thought, though he still let the tears flow. "Harry?" a voice called out in the darkness.

A figure approached him, but it was too dark and his eyes were too watery for him to see who it was. She lay down beside him, instinctively grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "Are you okay?" she whispered into his ear. _That sounds…that sounds like Hermione! _he realized this and turned away, not wanting her to see him in this state. "Don't worry, I already saw you. Its quite alright… would you like to tell me, what this is about?" she asked, still holding his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze again.

Surprisingly, he squeezed back. Soon enough she found herself in his arms, holding him as he held her. "Shhh…its okay…c'mon, tell me what's wrong…" she told him quietly, holding him tightly. They sat up, still holding each other, as Harry cried into her shoulder. "Sirius…" he whispered into her ear, she nodded in understanding. _He has lost everything… well not really… but he has… first his parents… then some of his friends… then his own godfather… and…and… I understand him…_ tears suddenly ran across her cheek too.

He held her close and tight, not wanting to let go. She tried to comfort him, she wanted to help him, and she could smell his aftershave, the distinct smell that has stuck onto her mind ever since… forever… He, on the other hand, could smell a soothing and amazing smell from her. _Strawberries… _he thought as he held her. "It's okay Harry, I'm here. With you," she found herself whispering to him.

Suddenly, he seemed to hold her even tighter, though his sobbing was getting weaker and he wasn't crying that much anymore. "I never knew the great Harry Potter was such a cry-baby," she teased him, snuggling closer into his embrace. "Oh shut up!" he whispered with a smile. He buried his head into the crook of her neck, enjoying her company. "Hermione?" he said, his voice cracking. "Hmm?" she asked, savoring the moment, as they held each other in each other's arms.

"Do you…want to fly with me?" he asked. He tried to pull back from her but she held onto him tightly, so he gave up and enveloped her once again. "Merlin no! I…you know I'm afraid of flying!" she argued, not wanting to fly at the moment. "Well, you have to learn sometime!" he argued back, though quite softly. "Now isn't the time then…" she replied, resting her cheek onto his shoulder as she looked at the Quidditch field.

"Oh…anyway, if you think it's time, I'll be waiting for you…" he told her. This time, she pulled back, a smile on her face. "Okay, I'll remember that," he wiped the tears that were on her cheek with his handkerchief. She smiled at him, suddenly fell back onto the grass, pulling her with him. "Harry!" she blurted out, though she enjoyed it. He grinned at her recklessly, looking up at the stars.

She adjusted herself so that she was in a more comfortable position. She rested her head on his chest. She could hear and feel his heart beating as his chest rose and fell. She looked up at his face, smiling. _He looks so cute… so peaceful… when he is sleeping… _she thought, seeing that his eyes were closed. She looked up at the stars and without warning, a shooting star passed by. _Make a wish! _she thought of what she wanted most, and smiled again at her answer.

_I wish that… Harry would love me as much as I love him… _she closed her eyes, feeling exhausted. Sleep found her with a big smile on her face…

* * *

Harry awoke to the smell of… _strawberries? _he thought as he opened his eyes, only to close them a second later as the sun shone brightly from above him. _What? How did I… _but then the memory of last night came back and he smiled. He finally opened his eyes, raising his right hand to block the sunlight as he couldn't use his left for some reason. He struggled to get up, but there was something different. 

He looked down and found Hermione, snuggling up against him as she squirmed closer when he tried to get up. _She looks… absolutely… stunning… beautiful… and more… _he said, looking her over and admiring her. He snaked his left hand around her waist and turned over to face her. Suddenly, as if on cue, she turned around, facing away from him as he pulled her closer, relishing the moment.

_I'd make a damn strong patronus with this memory… _he thought, stifling a laugh. Hermione snuggled even closer to him as the wind hit them coldly. He put his right hand around her as well, holding her protectively and somewhat possessively. He closed his eyes as he buried his face in her hair. _Wow…its so… soft… _he grinned again, breathing in her scent. He opened his eyes, only to find a pair of shoes in front of him.

He looked up and found a smirking Ginny looking down at them. "Have fun last night?" she asked him, crossing her arms and smirking even more. He blushed a very deep shade of red, "I…uh…well…we…umm…I…she…" he stuttered, trying to find an explanation. Ginny went down on her knees, "Oh, I was just joking Harry. Though I think you should wake her up and get in the house while mum's still sleeping. She'll go ballistic you know," she didn't have to inform him because he knew full well what Mrs. Weasley's reaction would be.

"You're right," he muttered, shaking Hermione gently and poking her in the ribs. She mumbled something incoherent so Harry shook her again, a bit more violently. "What?" she snapped at him, suddenly opening her eyes and finding Ginny there, looking at her. "Oh great," she grumbled, blushing madly as well. She tried to get up but found that Harry's arms were… _around me…_ she smiled and looked up, finding Harry looking down at her.

"Time to wake up, we wouldn't want any redheaded mothers to go wild on us now, do we?" he asked her, squeezing her tightly in his embrace before letting go. They stood, yawning. Harry put a hand through his hair, _I wish I could wake up to Hermione every day… _he thought as he grinned sheepishly. Ginny looked at them and shook her head, albeit she was smiling as she went in. _About time they got together… _she thought as she sat on the couch in the parlor room, waiting.

"Oh! Harry?" Hermione suddenly remembered something. Harry looked at her, she was still wearing what they wore last night. Denim pants, and a dark red tank top, which had _Hottie_ on it in bold letters. "Yeah?" he mumbled, turning around to face her. She stepped closer, so that their faces were only an inch apart. "Happy Birthday," she said before leaning in and giving him a deep and long kiss.

He didn't respond, shocked, but before Hermione could break away, his hand had snaked up to the back of her neck as he responded, rather passionately. A few minutes later, they broke away as they finally found out that they needed to breath. She smiled happily at him, he returned it by grinning wildly. "I think… that was the best birthday gift…ever" he told her, still smiling.

"You think so?" she replied sarcastically, before running up the stairs and into her room. The blood was still rising up into her cheeks. Her lips tingled and her mind was going around in circles. Her heart was leaping up and down in joy as she thought of that kiss. She quickly went into the bathroom, humming a song to herself as she took a shower.

Harry was still standing at the bottom of the stairs, dumbfounded. He was in shock, surprised that Hermione did that, _heck I'm surprised I did that! – No your not, you weren't surprised, you knew you wanted to… - hmm…as a matter of fact, I did want to… _he couldn't wipe the smile off his face even if he tried. He went upstairs, into his bedroom and fell backwards upon his bed, thinking of that moment by the bottom of the stairs.

_Merlin, she's so beautiful! And that kiss… _he ran a hand through his unruly raven colored hair as he quickly got some clothes to change into and walked over to the bathroom. He then heard the shower, _oh great, she beat me to it! _he thought as he walked back to his room, his lips still remembering how _her_ lips felt like. They were so soft, so… _kissable_… he looked forward to what the day had in store for him…

* * *

Someone rapped on his door right after he took a shower. "Come in!" he called out, looking at his reflection in the mirror. His reflection winked, "You look as handsome as ever," his reflection said. He grinned, "Of course I do you idiot!" he replied, laughing. He was wearing navy blue pants, a V cut shirt that had a white strip going from shoulder to shoulder. 

His hair was a bit more unruly today since right after showering he had tried to fix it, only succeeding in making it worse. Though it did look quite good like that. Lupin came in through the door, clutching something behind his back. Harry turned around, smiling. "Is that my birthday present?" Harry asked excitedly, his eyes glowing. Lupin motioned for Harry to take a seat on the couch in his room. He complied, wondering what his present was.

Lupin sat down next to him and hesitated. He placed what he was holding behind his back on the coffee table in front of them. It was a folder, a _very _thick folder. "What is…" he was saying, but Lupin waved his hand. "Let me speak first Harry," he said firmly, looking at Harry straight in the eye. His expression was very serious, _too_ serious in fact. He let him speak, nodding.

"Harry, I know that… that it hurt when… Sirius passed away… I know it hurt you a lot because… well, it hurt _me _a lot too," he started, trying to hold back tears. "When… he was still alive… he kept talking about you. About how… proud he was that he was your godfather… how proud he was of _you _Harry, and… whenever he would talk about you, his eyes would light up and he was… _happy_," he continued, swallowing hard and trying his best to compose himself.

Harry kept nodding, unsure of what to say, so he let Lupin continue. He too tried hard not to cry right then and there. "Well, he wanted you to live here as soon as you were sixteen. He wanted you to live with him, to… enjoy life with him. He also wanted to enjoy life with _you_. So, he tried to fix this place up, he even bought land and built extensions to the house, and as you saw before, that Quidditch field out back," he continued on, his voice cracking now and then.

"He was even doing this project in secret, something that he was going to reveal to everyone on your birthday. I will show it to you later, but right now… well… I'm not sure how to say this…" he looked at his shoes, "Harry, Sirius had left his _will_ and I think you should read it," he said, picking up the folder and taking a piece of paper out. He handed it to Harry, who eagerly took it. His eyes scanned the paper, reading every word.

* * *

**Gringott's Will Form**

**-Sirius Black's Will-**

_Dear Mr. Potter, On behal__f of all of Gringotts, we are truly sorry for your loss. We wish you a long and fruitful life. __Signed, __Rippag - Gringotts Manager, Diagon Alley Division

* * *

__Dear Harry,_

_If you are reading this right now, then it is no doubt that I have gone. I am sorry if it caused you much pain. I know that when I died, the last thing I thought of would be how sorry I was for not being much of a godfather to you. Your father would have been proud of you, of the man you are and will become. I know I was. Ever since I was sent to Azkaban, I have thought of you. Of how I could not be there when you grow up._

_Now, I am most definitely not going to be there. I am sorry Harry, truly sorry for everything. Especially those wretched Dursleys who I think are more like animals than humans. Anyway, I do hope that you will continue on with your life, do not linger and waste any more tears on me. I was an old dog and you know that. You are almost like James in every way, brilliant, a trouble-maker, a great friend, trustworthy, responsible (right?), handsome, and most of all, you are a great person Harry. Never forget that. No matter how many people jeer at you, mock you, or even insult you, you are and you will always be, a great person._

_Anyway, enough ranting on, as I am sure the tears are falling right now, for my tears are falling now. I love you and take care okay? I am sure I will be quite happy where I am to go, for I will see James and Lily there. I will tell them all about you and what has happened to you, if they don't kill me (again) for leaving you that is. _Harru chuckled at this, and indeed, tears were flowing freely and falling on the piece of parchment._ Listen to Remus okay? Trust him like you trusted me, for soon you will know what will happen. Read the rest of the will, I am sure you will be… quite surprised. Until I see you again, don't do anything I wouldn't do (which isn't quite a lot really… mostly stay out of Azkaban…). _Harry laughed at this as well.

**_Padfoot_

* * *

**

Harry looked up from the letter, smiling widely at Lupin. "Wow," was all he said, instantly hugging Lupin. Lupin, stunned, hugged back, smiling to himself. "Harry, if you don't want to continue for now, we could…" Harry shook his head, "I want to continue. I want to," he stated, wiping away the tears with the handkerchief Lupin had offered. They were both crying, crying for joy and sadness as well.

Lupin took another piece of parchment out of the folder, and handed it to Harry as well. He took it, his hands still shaking. He read it:

**Last Will and Testimony**

_Mr. Sirius Black has left everything he has owned to Mr. Harry Potter. __Mr. Potter, in the event of Mr. Black's death, will receive the following inheritance:_

_50 percentOwnership of Quidditch Team Puddlemere United _

_33 percent__Ownership of Quidditch Team ChudleyCannons_

_1,720,423 Galleons and all the family jewels – amounting to 2,000,000+ galleons_

_Ownership of all estates, houses, land, and castles of the Black Family _

_Ownership of: 8 restaurants, 4 Hotels/Resorts all in England __40 Ownership of Quidditch Quality Supplies_

_Ownership of the valley wherein Godric's Hollow is in as well as ownership of Godric's Hollow _(**OKAY OKAY! **This part I got from another story, though I have forget what story, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!)

"Wow, he left…me a lot… I mean… I own HALF of Puddlemere United and I also own 1/3 of the Chudley Cannons! Ron will go ballistic!" he exclaimed, a broad smile on his lips. "Now, you didn't think Sirius was _poor_ now did you?" Lupin asked, very serious. "Well, lets just say that I never thought he was this _rich_," he replied, the smile never leaving his face. "Hmm… Maybe I could be Seeker for one of them?" Harry asked no one in particular.

"Of course you can Harry! You _OWN_ the teams! My gosh, you could even let Ron be Keeper for all you care," Lupin said jokingly, though it was all true. "Really?" he asked hopefully, Lupin nodded, grinning at the ecstatic look on Harry's face. "This is AWESOME!" he exclaimed, he was about to put the parchment away before he noticed that there was something written at the very bottom.

Mr. Sirius Black, being of sound mind (shut up Remus! Tonks!) and sound body (oh bloody hell! Let me WRITE this damn thing!) appoint Mr. Remus Lupin to be Mr. Harry Potter's Godfather as long as Mr. Lupin agrees.

Sirius Black 

Harry looked up from the parchment, staring at Lupin. "Lu-Lu-Lupin?" he croaked, unable to contain himself. "What?" Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Youwanttobemygodfather?" he blurted out so fast, Lupin had the stop and replay his words in his mind. "Why Harry! OF COURSE!" he bellowed, pulling his soon-to-be-godson into a huge embrace. Tears of joy ran along his cheeks.

"We have to do the necessary paperwork in Gringott's though, so we will go when we go shop for your school supplies," Lupin said thoughtfully. Harry nodded; it was too much for him. Happiness, surprise, shock, sadness, joy, grief, and very little anger all coursed through him. Though happiness was stronger. He had let out a sigh of relief when he heard Lupin agree. _Something tells me that I will remember this birthday for the rest of my life… _Harry thought, as Lupin stuffed the papers back in the folder.

"Well, Happy Birthday Harry!" Lupin exclaimed, quite cheerfully. "I do hope you will come down and eat, I'm pretty sure that everyone is waiting for you," he told him before leaving the room. _Wow, so much happened in the past hour… its unbelievable! _He left the room, taking the stairs three at a time. He ran into the kitchen, a big grin plastered onto his face. He sat down and began wolfing down his food.

Hermione was looking at him from across the table; apparently, he was too busy thinking of something that he didn't realize everyone was there. He kicked him from under the table, "Ow! What was that for?" he said, irritated. He looked up, only to see Hermione motioning with her eyes for him to look at the rest of the table. True enough, everyone was there.

Suddenly, they all chorused, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" as they started to laugh. George laughed so hard, he fell, pulling Fred down with him. Mrs. Weasley glared at them for a second, before laughing as well. Hermione was smiling brightly, along with Ginny. Ron and Kaji both nudged him from either side of him, "Happy birthday mate!" Ron said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, Happy Birthday Harry!" Kaji piped up, laughing as the George fell again, clutching his sides. All in all, the afternoon was amazing. Unknown to Harry, they were going to have a party later on…

* * *

**-flashback-** (this is so you can understand what happens later on…) 

_**Note: Remember that day when Kaji said he was going to Diagon Alley? This is what happened when he went…**_

He went into Flourish and Blotts, looking at all the books there that concerned the Dark Arts. He still needed a book to send to Professor McGonagall so she could send out the book lists in two weeks. _Hmm… Simple Defense Spells and How to Use them Properly by Erlon Eradil… nah! Something else… Something more… advanced than that! _He moved along the aisle.

_The Dark Arts and How to Beat It by Jon Herapil… Guide to Defend Yourself by Billy Totoe… Oh! This is hopeless! Everything here isn't…satisfactory… _he was so intent on looking at the books that he accidentally bumped into someone, making that person's books fall to the ground. He turned around, "Sorry…" he said but his heart got caught up in his throat. Standing in front of him was one of the most beautiful and stunning girls he had ever seen.

_Strange, she looks just like Harry… _but he brushed the thought aside. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," she said, making a move to get the fallen books. "No, no. I'm sorry, it was my fault," he said, "Allow me," he told her as he bent down and retrieved the books. He stood and handed the books back to her, looking at her. _She is absolutely just…stunning! Bah! Pull yourself together!_

She actually did look like Harry. She had the same unruly, though shoulder length, raven colored hair. It looked so soft that he actually wanted to run his hand through her hair. She even had his emerald green eyes, the same powerful eyes. Saying she was beautiful was an understatement. She caught him staring and she raised an eyebrow, almost like Harry indeed.

"Sorry, where are my manners? Anyway, I'm Kaji," he introduced himself, extending a hand. She took it, "I'm Jennifer Preston, pleased to meet you," she said in a soft, captivating voice. Kaji's heart practically tried to burst through his chest. He leaned forward and kissed her hand delicately. "Pleased to meet you as well," he said.

After that there was a short while of awkward silence. She broke the ice first, "So…umm…do you study at Hogwarts?" she asked, not daring to look up and get lost in his brown eyes. She was blushing slightly and so was he. "Yeah…yes! I am studying there, though I will also be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year as well. Do you study there?" he asked, curious.

"Yes…well, technically no… I'll be a new student this year," she told him. "What year will you be in?" he asked, hoping she was going to be in the same year as he. "I'm going to be a sixth year…well that's what the letter said…" she replied uncertainly. "Great!" he blurted out immediately. Her heart fluttered a bit when he said that, _we only just met and its like…in those movies…is this how it feels like…to experience love at first sight? _she thought.

"So…well…umm…I know we just met and all…but are you free this Sunday?" he asked, crossing his fingers. "Yeah, I am. Why?" she asked, though she knew what he was going to say. "Canyougoouttodinnerwithmeplease?" he said so fast she didn't understand him. "Can you say that again?" she asked politely. He grinned, "Would you like to…go out to dinner with me?" he finally said, rephrasing it a bit. She smiled back and surprising him and herself, she said yes.

"Where can I pick you up?" he smiled at her, his heart still racing and his adrenaline pumping. "Hmm…well, my family and I are staying at the Leaky Cauldron for now. How about you pick me up there?" she informed him, a smile creeping up on her face. "Sure! How about seven o'clock?" he asked, still crossing his fingers. He absent-mindedly wiped away a few beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead. "That would be great," she replied, still looking straight at his eyes as he looked back, their gaze unwavering, "Good!" he cried out in relief.

They both laughed nervously, "Well, bye then Kaji," she walked towards the counter with her books, "Bye Jennifer!" he called out when she had reached the counter. Shaking her head she said, "Just call me Jen!". "Okay," he replied from behind her, causing her to jump. She turned back and smiled, "See you on Sunday then," she started for the door, "See you on Sunday…" he said, staring at her retreating form. The attendant at the counter looked at him, shaking his head…

**-flashback end- **(-grins- hehehe…. I will leave you at that to…speculate!)

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hahahahaha! Chapter 5 finally! Chapter 6 might come soon, if I get more reviews that is… C'MON PEOPLE! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Please, I need to know what you think of it! Anyway, thanks to all those people who reviewed, most especially **Dreamergirl86**! I expect this to be more than 30 chapters…and some chapters, like this one and chapter 4, can be very long, which is something I like! (YES! I like long stories!) anyway, hope you like the story so far.. 

Hitman


	6. Most Memorable Birthday part II

I am quite disappointed! There seems to be few people giving me reviews… I absolutely hate it! RAWR! Where are the reviews? C'mon? Not even a flame or a praise or anything? ANYTHING AT ALL:(

Anyway, here is the next Chapter, hope you enjoy it! Oh, sorry but this wont really have that much romance in it, I think we are missing a bit on any action for some time…so I deliberately made this chapter to not have too much romance…well fine, there is a romantic scene of sorts with Kaji and Jen for now… (coz they'll be important later on in the story…) and a bit with H/Hr and R? and G?…just wait and see!

Note: I do not own Harry Potter and all the original characters that were created by JK Rowling, she owns it…I mean I own only those characters I created….I wish I could own HP though…so I could be rich… and also so I can do as I please with the characters! (hahahaha! Smiles evilly at the thought…)

…

* * *

**Chapter Six: Most Memorable Birthday – Part II**

* * *

**Grimmauld Place, sometime on the evening of Harry's birthday…**

"C'mon Harry! We'll be late for dinner!" someone called from downstairs. He still couldn't figure out what to wear. He paced his room, absolutely pissed at himself for not getting ready sooner. Suddenly, someone rapped at the door. "Come in!" he snapped, starting to worry that they might cancel the dinner just because of him.

"Harry? What's wrong?" Lupin asked, walking in. "I… I can't find anything to wear!" he cried out in dispair, throwing his hands up and giving Lupin a worried look. Lupin looked at him for a moment, and then he started laughing. Harry glared at him, "It's not funny you know!" he snapped, starting to pace again. "Sorry Harry, couldn't control myself…" he chuckled.

"Anyway, I think it's time you wore something… something Sirius would have wanted you to wear…" he said, looking at Harry. "I'll go get it and will you please stop worrying and driving yourself nuts over this?" he shouted in mock anger as he left the room. Harry sat down on his bed and crossed his arms. _He thinks it's funny… well, it is kind of funny… _he shook his head as Lupin came back, amazing robes in his hand.

"Well Harry, since you are now, _officially_, the head of the Black Family, you should wear this today," he stated, making sure his tone of voice implied that he had no choice in the matter. Harry sighed, looking a bit eagerly at the robes. Lupin laid it on the bed and he knew by Harry's reaction that he liked it. "This is…this is awesome Lu…Professor!" he exclaimed, though unsure of what to call his new godfather.

"Just Remus would be fine Harry, and yes, those are amazing robes right there! Self-fitting too, mind you. So just put it on and it'll fit perfectly!" he said as Harry already took the robes and donned it. You see, the Black Family Crest is on the robes too, from now on, people will know you are Head of a family. Some might give you an interesting title, which I won't tell you. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise now, would I?" he said in a knowing voice, making Harry quite irritated for not being told of it.

"Anyway, I believe everyone is waiting…" he hinted, looking at Harry with a satisfied smile. "Oh! Right!" he said a worried look coming onto his face as they both raced down the stairs. He entered the kitchen, only to find that everyone started to look at him. Tonks nodded, "Hello there, _Lord Black_!" she stated, enjoying the moment when Harry's face twisted into a look of utter bewilderment.

"Wh-what did you call me?" he muttered in a very low voice. "Oh get over it! You will soon find people talking to you like that!" she exclaimed. "Let's get on to dinner already!" Ron blurted out making everyone laugh. There was a big, ugly, brown shoe in the center of the table. Everyone suddenly reached out a hand or a finger to touch it as Lupin tapped the shoe with his wand. Suddenly, they were pulled into Diagon Alley…

* * *

**Dumbledore's bedroom, five minutes later…**

_SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!_

Dumbledore awoke, immediately whipping out his wand that lay on the table next to him. He crawled out of bed as he put his wand forward, ready for anything. _Someone broke into Hogwarts… _he thought as the alarm in his office screeched some more. _Someone unwanted that is… _he thought as he steeled himself for what was to come. He then walked out of his office, calling the gargoyle to him.

He rushed down the steps, wand still raised and his cloak billowing behind him. He suddenly encountered Professor McGonagall, Snape, and a very surprised and angry looking Hagrid. They were talking in a heated conversation until Dumbledore suddenly appeared. "What is wrong? My alarm went off, someone is in Hogwarts. Someone who is not welcome," he told them, getting straight to the point.

"We know, Hagrid was attacked, but he overpowered the man and ran to me, encountering Severus on the way," Professor McGonagall explained the situation. "There is more than one here, Headmaster," Snape said, sneering ever so slightly. "Professor Dumbledore sir, there are a lo' more of 'em, I can tell yeh tha'! Death Eaters!" he exclaimed, getting a glare from Snape. "Shut up you blundering fool of a giant! You will attract them here!" Snape snapped, glaring icily at Hagrid, who gladly returned it.

Dumbledore suddenly sensed multiple magical auras heading towards them. "They are coming here, prepare yourselves!" he warned them, walking forward. They looked at each other and followed him down the hall. "There they are!" a voice screamed in delight ahead of them. "Now, now Bella, don't get too excited!" an eerie and dark voice said from around the corner.

Snape cringed, he knew that voice all too well. Dumbledore winced, knowing now the full extent of the situation. "Ah! If it isn't my…arch-enemy?" the voice asked, his tone full of evil and malice. His cold, piercing glare passed over them, one by one, stopping at Dumbledore. "Tom, what are you doing here?" Dumbledore asked, quite curious. "Why, to _kill_ you of course! Surely you didn't think I would _wait_ for _you_?" the man replied, his red slits staring at him menacingly.

Ten Death Eaters soon fell into rank behind him as ten more appeared after them. Suddenly, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and Professor Vera came running in behind them. "Tom, this does not have to include them. This is between you and me," Dumbledore stated flatly, not wanting to risk their lives. Voldemort cackled evilly, "Oh, but my Death Eaters need some entertainment. Besides, you know as well as I do that they will not leave, stubborn really…" he replied coolly.

"Come now Tom, let them go and we can settle this, alone," Dumbledore insisted, emphasizing the word alone. Voldemort glared at him with his red eyes, full of malice and hate. "STOP CALLING ME TOM! I AM LORD VOLDEMORT, THE MOST POWERFUL WIZARD OF ALL TIME!" he bellowed, raising his wand at Dumbledore, "I WILL NOT SPARE THEM, NOR YOU! NOW DUEL WITH ME YOU STUPID OLD BROKEN POOR EXCUSE FOR A WIZARD!" he bellowed, this time causing Bellatrix to smirk.

Professor McGonagall looked from Dumbledore to Voldemort, and back. "Minerva, do take care of Harry, _if_ anything happens…" he said, low enough not to be heard by anyone else but her. She nodded as Dumbledore stepped forward. "I will spare them, only if you fight me right here, right now," he said daringly. "Fine, leave us," he told them, glancing at them. He glared at Professor McGonagall who was going to protest. "No, leave _now_," he said in a flat voice, not bothering to look at them anymore.

They all but ran away, hoping to inform the Order and the Ministry right away so that they could come back with the cavalry. _Oh, sometimes that old codger could be so impossible at times! _Minerva McGonagall found herself thinking as they apparated away as soon as they had gone past the range of the wards in Hogwarts…

* * *

**Inside Hogwarts, eight minutes after the professors had all left…**

"So Dumbledore, think you can take me on?" Voldemort said, his voice sending a slight shiver down Dumbledore's spine. "I don't think when I can do," Dumbledore countered, glaring openly at Voldemort. "HAH! Still overconfident of yourself, I see," he smirked coldly, locking his red slits with his eyes. "I will not hold back Dumbledore, seeing as you so readily stepped forward," he cackled, "Enough talk! _Exerio Arato!_" Dumbledore bellowed.

Voldemort ducked, the spell barely missing him, "Impatient now Dumbledore? Too bad, I was hoping we could chat and get each other up to speed on…" he didn't finish as Dumbledore sent another spell at him. Infuriated, Dumbledore glared menacingly at Voldemort, who gladly returned it with an icy and quite scare glare of his own. He pulled back his hood, exposing his hideous face, so hideous that it would put Michael Jackson to shame. (Sorry for/to all you MJ lovers out there, I absolutely hate him…)

"_Averto Exume!" _Dumbledore bellowed once again, Voldemort reacted this time. _"Erato Protego,"_ he mumbled, a barrier forming in front of him. The bright orange spell hit the shield and bounced back. Dumbledore, with amazing reflexes that seemed unthinkable for a man his age, crouched and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the oncoming spell. "Still in shape? I am surprised…" Voldemort was saying, but this time, Dumbledore caught him with a tripping hex, making him fall flat on his face a number of times as he tried to get up.

"_Finite Incantatem," _he said angrily, making him stop tripping every time he got up. _"Arato Exume!" _as a different form of the recent spell left Dumbledore's wand. Voldemort hissed as he was thrown back a few feet, sporting a wounded arm. Dumbledore smiled, "Is that all you got, Riddle?" he taunted, never taking his gaze off of Voldemort. "Argh! Shut up! Bella, get him!" he ordered, the witch instantly leaped into action.

"_Crucio!" _she muttered. Dumbledore dodged it and sent two more spells at her, which she avoided with some effort. _"Incarcerous!"_ he said, catching the witch unexpectedly as thick ropes appeared and bound her tightly. She cursed as she fell to the ground, struggling to free herself. "Damn you woman! Can't you do anything right?" Voldemort bellowed angrily.

Voldemort got up to face his archenemy once more. "I will take you down, mark my words Dumbledore. I will take you down right now!" he shot at the old man, anger taking control. _"Libele Incorio! Marate Loreato! Horos!" _he screamed, sending three jets of light at the old wizard. _"Meli Reflecto!" _Dumbledore muttered, creating a strong shield in front of him. The three spells hit the shield, the shield sent the first two back while it absorbed the third. _"Coloreghio!"_ Voldemort said quickly, a wall-like barrier forming in front of him as the spells hit it…

* * *

**Diagon Alley, five minutes later…**

Harry couldn't stop himself from staring at Hermione for the tenth time. She was stunning, elegant, beautiful, and most of all, _lovely_. She was wearing a plain white strapless dress. It clung to her, showing amazing curves, though not showing that much. It stopped just at her knees. He smiled again_, thinking of Hermione was very good, though somewhat tiring_. He chuckled at that thought as he noticed that they were entering a restaurant.

When they had arrived in the Leaky Cauldron, he couldn't bear the stares people threw his way, so he walked ahead into the back, opening the entrance himself. "Harry, you coming in or not?" Tonks asked, seeing as Harry seemed to be rooted to the floor for a while. "Huh? Oh!" he said, quickly walking inside and trying to hide his look from Tonks, who was laughing. "Greetings Lord, your room is ready," the headwaiter told him, bowing very low.

Harry seemed a bit awkward and embarrassed at seeing the man bow to him. "Thank you," he replied, walking into the room that he had pointed out. "Good evening my Lord, anything to drink?" the waiter asked as he sat down between Lupin and Hermione. "Oh, umm… some Swedish Wilderstert would be fine," he told the waiter, who immediately conjured the drink and placed it in front of Harry.

"I hope you enjoy it, my Lord," the man said, bowing before he went to serve the others. Hermione gave him a questioning look. He sighed and put a hand through his hair, "Apparently, as Head of the Black Family, I am entitled as _Lord_," he told her, scowling as she giggled. "Sorry, _my Lord_," she said, now going into full-fledged laughter. Lupin stood, tapping his glass with a spoon, very carefully.

Everyone shut up, looking at him expectantly. He smiled warmly, looking back at them, "Well, I would like to offer a toast, to Harry, because it is his sixteenth birthday," a few whoops and cheers rang out among them and immediately stopped when Lupin cleared his throat rather loudly. "To Sirius, I know that old dog is somewhere up there, looking down on us," he said rather sadly. "To Lily and James, who I know would be very, _very_ proud of their son," he continued, "and to Kingsley, who died fighting against Voldemort, fighting for those who couldn't fight for themselves and knowing that he was risking his life in doing so," he said, his voice cracking as tears threatened to fall.

They all drank in silence as Lupin sat, finishing his glass in a few gulps. "Now then, lets eat!" he said, Ron nodding ecstatically. "Honestly Ron! Can you think of anything else besides food or when the next meal is?" Hermione asked as she shook her head in disapproval. "I'm a growing boy you know!" he answered back, though it was after he stammered a bit.

Hermione rolled her eyes just as the food suddenly appeared on the table. "Wow," he said, though he knew it was an understatement. The food is spectacular, _and so is Hermione… _he blushed at the thought and immediately stole a glance at the pretty brunette, who he noticed, had put her hair up elegantly. She had placed ponytails in a U shape, starting from the left, curving to the back and then to the right. Her hair was still long enough to barely touch her shoulders as they curled this way and that.

"Hermione, did I tell you that you look absolutely stunning tonight?" he blurted out in a whisper. She looked at him and blushed deeply, her heart fluttering as she looked at his emerald eyes. "No, not until now…" she replied, a sly grin on her face. He smiled, "Well, I think I should say it more often, because it's true you know. You are gorgeous…" he blushed madly as he told her this.

"Oh Harry, that's so sweet…" she said, reaching out and grabbing his hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "By the way, you look quite handsome yourself, _Lord Potter-Black_!" she whispered to him, giggling right after. He pulled his hand away from her in mock anger as he glared at her, though his glare only made her laugh some more. "Harry! You can't glare at me anymore now…can you? I think I know why…" she said, a smile creeping at her lips.

He looked away, finding that his food was much, _much_ more interesting than the stunning brunette beside him. He poked his food with his fork as he blushed an even deeper shade of red that would have put the Weasley's to shame. "There she is! Hey Jen!" Kaji blurted out, jumping up and running to the newcomer. "Here, you sit beside me," he said, pulling her to her seat and offering it to her. He pulled it out and slid it in when she sat. He then stood by his seat, catching everyone's attention.

"Well, I do hope it was alright if I invited someone along…" he said, nervously rubbing his hands together. "It's alright Kaji! As long as they look as beautiful as her!" Fred called out and a few catcalls and whistling were heard from the men. Jen looked down and immediately started blushing very red. "Well, guys, meet Jennifer Preston," he introduced her, starting to point at each person and giving her their name as she nodded in greeting.

Lupin, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley all looked at Jen. There was one thought coursing through their minds, _she looks exactly like Harry!…

* * *

_

**Ministry of Magic, ten minutes after leaving Dumbledore…**

Hagrid, Snape, and Professor Sprout apparated into the Ministry and ran as fast as their legs could carry them to the _Department for Magical Law Enforcement_. "We need to speak to Amelia Bones, it is _very_ urgent!" Snape said coldly, ignoring the look the auror on guard gave him when they just walked past him. "St-stop right there!" the auror, who seemed to be a newly appointed one, said. Snape stopped and turned around, "If you want to help save the life of one of the most powerful wizards who is currently fighting Voldemort, then I suggest you shut up and let us be!" he snapped.

He turned around and stalked off, his robes billowing behind him. Professor Sprout looked at the auror, who looked as if he had just been hit with a bat. "Go on Hagrid, I'll try and comfort the poor man," she said, gesturing for Hagrid to go. "Alrigh'," Hagrid said, following Snape…

* * *

**Amelia Bone's Office, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Head Auror for the Auror Department…**

Her door flew open as a snarling, greasy figure came walked in. He was quickly followed by a huge man with a big bushy beard, "How dare you burst-" she was saying, but was immediately cut off by the smaller of the two. "Amelia Bones, no time for formalities or any more chit chat for that matter," he said coldly, "I am Severus Snape, Potions Professor at Hogwarts, the Headmaster is in deep trouble and I suggest you gather as much aurors as you can and go to his aid immediately, he is currently at Hogwarts," Snape said, sneering a bit at the woman.

She glared at Snape for talking like that, but sighed nonetheless as she pressed a button on her desk. "Yes Miss Bones?" a voice called out, "Code Red, Priority Alpha situation. All immediate aurors in the vicinity to meet at Hogsmeade, right outside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, _now!_" she bellowed as she donned her cloak and went out, motioning for the two to follow. Hagrid just kept his mouth shut because he knew he would just stall them, and stalling them was the last thing he wanted to do…

* * *

**Grimmauld Place, thirty seconds after Snape entered the Ministry…**

Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Vera arrived in front of Grimmauld Place. McGonagall immediately ran up the steps and knocked frantically at the door until it opened. Dobby looked at her and opened the door wider, bowing low at them. "Dobby, no time to talk much. Where is everyone?" she asked, looking around surprised to see the house empty.

Before Dobby could answer however, Mad-Eye appeared from the kitchen, "They left for dinner, Pottter's birthday and all…" he growled, "Didn't want to go because I hate gatherings like that…" he explained when McGonagall was about to ask why he wasn't there as well. "Oh Moody! Good to see you, get some Order members and meet me at Hogwarts. Please do hurry, Albus is in grave danger!" she told him before walking back and talking with the two other professors in hushed tones.

Moody stepped out, his magical eye spinning around crazily. He looked at them, nodded, and then with a slight pop he disappeared…

* * *

**Back in that expensive restaurant…**

They all stared at her as she shifted uncomfortable in her chair, trying to ignore the stares and keep eating at the same time. Kaji noticed this and coughed, glaring at them. They all blinked several times, and then they looked at Kaji giving him a 'forgive me' look, before turning away to talk to someone beside them.

"Thanks," Jen whispered as she let out a sigh of relief, noticing that they had stopped staring at her. "Don't mention it," he replied to her in a whisper as well. The room seemed to get louder as they finally talked to one another, occasionally laughter ringing from the Weasley twins. "I can't say I blame them though…" he told her, looking at her. "Why?" she asked, looking back at him.

He smiled sweetly at her, "Because you are very beautiful tonight," he told her. He flashed her another smile as he suddenly _really _noticed how she looked. She was wearing a dark red dress, which glittered and sparkled in the light. The dress stopped at her knees and had straps going up and around her neck into a knot. The zipper wasn't fully closed behind her and Kaji moved to zip it up.

"No, no! Don't bother, I mean…" but he had already tried, only succeeding in putting it down a bit more. His eyes suddenly grew wide as he saw what he thought was a scar. _Where did she get that from?_ She looked at him and then leaned back, so that he couldn't see any of her scars. She didn't want to tell anyone, she would get into a lot of trouble once her brothers found out that she snuck out.

He sighed, putting the thought at the back of his mind and making a mental note to himself to ask her about it. Harry looked at Jen rather suspiciously, _damn! She does look like me… is there… is she… no! no, she can't be… or maybe she is… oh merlin! I don't think so! _he finally decided, though something in him felt that what he had decided was wrong…

* * *

**Hogsmeade, fifteen minutes after they had left Dumbledore…**

Amelia Bones, arrived along with eighteen aurors. Twelve of them were veterans while three were quite new while the other three were very new. Hagrid, Snape, and Prof. Sprout came along with them. They were about to rush into Hogwarts when suddenly, Professors McGonagall, Vera, and Flitwick appeared and rushed towards them. "We must hurry! He might be hurt already!" Flitwick said, a very worried look on his face.

Nodding, Amelia ran off, leading them into the fray. Mad-Eye Moody suddenly apparated just as they got inside Hogwarts, and he scowled at them for not waiting, though he knew that it was right not to wait. "Alright you lot, lets go!" he ran as fast as one leg and one peg could take him. He had brought along fifteen more Order members…

* * *

**Hogwarts, sixteen minutes after they had left Dumbledore…**

Dumbledore had a deep gash on his right shoulder, a few bruises, and a slight cut on his head, which seemed to bleed more than the other wounds. Blood ran down the side of his head as he tried to focus on his next attack. Voldemort was also wounded, his left arm was now hanging limp, the spell he had used earlier doing its damage. He also had a lot of wounds on his right torso and leg.

"Still want to fight Dumbledore? You sure you don't want to give up and just let me kill you? Save me the trouble now will you?" Voldemort taunted, cackling madly once again. _"Reducto!" _Dumbledore yelled, pointing his wand at the floor right in front of Voldemort. The floor exploded, sending rocks everywhere. A rock hit Voldemort and his grunt echoed across the hall as it caught him in the stomach.

He flew back quite a bit, and then fuming, he stood, with much difficulty, and faced his rival once more. "You leave me no choice," Voldemort said, pointing his wand at Dumbledore. _"Resami Xia Serpentsia!" _he screamed, putting his full power into the spell. Suddenly, a huge thirty-foot snake launched itself at Dumbledore, fangs bared, from Voldemort's wand. He laughed as Dumbledore barely dodged the snake.

"Whattt dooo youu want massster?" the snake hissed, sticking out its tongue. "Kiiillll hiiimmmm," Voldemort ordered in parseltongue, glaring at Dumbledore who still had a calm expression on his face. The snake rose up, tensing to attack. Suddenly, it lunged at him, wounding the old man's leg. _"Averto Exume!" _he muttered, feeling weaker. _I lost too much blood… I'm going to die… _he thought as the spell hit the snake, inflicting a deep gash.

Suddenly, Fawkes, his Phoenix, appeared. It cried out and a soft song was suddenly heard. It then attacked the snake, talons bared as dive bombed the snake. Distracting it long enough for Dumbledore to regain his strength, Fawkes sang the song again, disappearing around the corner. Dumbledore smiled, _"Murde Serpensum!"_ he said aloud, the very powerful spell hitting the snake. It convulsed, and then it fell over, dead.

Volldemort glared at the headmaster. "You have been a thorn in my side for too long!" he yelled, his wand whipping out as he sent four spells at Dumbledore. _"Maxim Protego!" _he said calmly as a white barrier appeared in front of him, concentrating hard, Dumbledore made the shield into a thicker though not as wide one. That spell usually made the barrier very wide. The spells hit the shield. It flickered but held. Three more spells hit the shield, but it still held. Just when Dumbledore knew that the shield was about to give, he raised his wand and dove through the shield. _"Merapertomo!" _he yelled, _"Incendio!" _he said right after, the two spells heading towards Voldemort.

Both spells hit him as he went down onto his knees, weakened badly. He extinguished the fire that had spread on his robes. Voldemort looked at theDumbledore in disbelief, "Die Dumbledore!" he hissed, pointing his wand at the old man. _"Avada Kedavra!" _he bellowed, _"Avada Kedavra!" _he said again, sending two killing curses at Dumbledore. The old wizard, who just got up from his lunge, was caught off guard. He lept to the right, but he caught half of one of the killing curses with his shoulder.

He opened his mouth, his eyes wide with shock. He fell to the floor with a _thud_. He began to breath erratically until finally he was just wheezing. "I finally got you old man, but I think I have a use for you…" Voldemort said, he cast a very complicated spell that brought the old headmaster back, though at the cost of weakening Voldemort very much. _"Corrupsio!" _he muttered, the spell tearing into Dumbledore's weakly protected mind and corrupting it so that Dumbledore would not be able to fight back. "Finally, now, for the final touch…" Voldemort said rather weakly. _"Persona Imperio,"_ he muttered, Dumbledore's eyes widened, and then they went back to normal.

"You will receive instructions from me soon, I will owl you. Now, you will act like yourself _until_ you get my instructions," Voldemort ordered, leaving Dumbledore there. _"Reliso!"_ he said, his wand pointed at Bellatrix. The ropes disappeared as a very angry Bellatrix snatched her wand up and pointed it at Dumbledore. "NO! I STILL HAVE USE FOR HIM! WHEN WE ARE DONE I WILL LET YOU KILL HIM!" Voldemort screamed. Scared, Bellatrix reluctantly put her wand down, resorting to glaring at the old wizard instead.

Just then, five of his Death Eaters collapsed as spells started to come from the hall to their right. Voldemort cursed, "Aurors!" he spat, quickly walking the other way. He stopped cold, "Not so fast, _Voldemort_…" Moody growled at him, his magical eye stopped spinning as both eyes glared at the cloaked figure before him. "Moody," he said, distaste ringing in his voice. He spat at the ground in front of him, "Bella, take care of him," Voldemort ordered her.

She smirked as she stepped forward, wand raised, "What are you standing there for? Find a Death Eater and take them down! Let me handle this…" he scowled at the other wizards and witches of the Order, who did not move. They nodded and ran forward, adding their spells to the fray. Voldemort, with the last of his power, disappeared into a cloud of black smoke.

"Figures… coward…" Moody grunted to himself as he faced Bellatrix. _"Crucio!" _she bellowed, sending the unforgivable curse at moody, who tapped his nose twice, making a barrier form in front of him, stopping the curse. He jumped out from behind the barrier, _"Regori!" _he muttered, the spell hitting Bellatrix in the stomach, causing her to fly back a few feet. She got up, glaring at him as she sent some more curses his way…

* * *

**Malfoy Manor, that big place that houses those gits…**

"Ma-Master?" Lucious called out in shock and surprise. "Yes Lucious. It is me. I have come here to spend a few days, to rest…" he said in as cold a tone as ever. "Bu-but Master…" he tried to complain but he shut himself up as soon as he realized it. He knew what would happen if he angered him. "What was that you were saying, _Lucious_?" he asked mockingly.

"Nothing! Nothing! Please do come in my Lord," he said, quickly putting on a stone cold face. _I have to get Draco and Narcissa out of his sight! _he thought as he snapped his fingers. A rather abused looking house-elf peered at him from behind his fingers. "M-Ma-Master calls Dreak?" the house-elf said in a low tone, shaking from nervousness. "Yes, prepare the best room besides my own for the Dark Lord, he will be staying here. Find Draco, tell him to get Narcissa and to hide from sight in the usual hiding place whenever he is here! Tell them I will go to them soon," he ordered the house-elf in a sharp tone.

"As you wishes Master," he replied as he disappeared. Voldemort finally arrived at the entrance to the huge mansion. He smiled coldly as he thought of Luscious and how easy it was to manipulate him. _I do hope his son will prove much easier to manipulate… I am getting tired of Lucious… _he thought as a house-elf suddenly appeared and opened the door, cowering before him. "I-I-I-I wills showses yo-you yo-you-your room s-sir!" he squeaked, still hiding behind the door.

Voldemort looked at the house-elf in extreme dislike, but nodded anyway. The house-elf disappeared, only to find it appear above the stairs, "Sir, pl-please follow me!" he said as he waited for him. Voldemort let stifled a cry as exhaustion and the pain of his wounds started to rack his mind. _That last spell that Dumbledore hit me with… it was pretty powerful… I can already feel its effects coming… _he thought as he indeed started to feel pain in some areas he knew he wasn't hit.

A burning sensation lingered in those areas, as if the flesh was slowly melting away. _It doesn't matter… I now have Dumbledore in the palm of my hand… _he cackled silently at the thought as he looked at the house-elf with a dismissive glare as he entered his room. He would have to thank Lucious for this, though he didn't know how. He lay in the huge king sized bed, plotting his plans…

* * *

**Hogwarts, twenty minutes after Voldemort ran away like the coward he is…**

"_Arato Exume!" _Moody pointed his wand at her, screaming those words three times as two of them missed and the other just scraped at her ankle._"Stupefy!"_ he said as Bellatrix tripped and grabbed at her ankle.She dodged it, though it hurt her ankle. She glaredat him icily as she stood. She almost fell when she applied some weight onto her right foot, where the ankle just didnt want to support her.She muttered a numbing spell and a stiffening spell so that she could still use her leg, though just a bit.

"Are you done woman?" Moody taunted, his magical eye spinning behind him as he suddenly ducked. A Death Eater had sent the stunning spell at him. It passed over him and hit a very surprised Bellatrix. She flew back a few meters, hitting the wall and sliding down onto the floor, unconscious. _About ruddy time that stupid woman got what she asked for… _he thought as he saw that the rest of the Death Eaters had given up when they saw Bellatrix go down and when they saw that they were in a hopeless situation.

_Some of these bastards have brains after all… _he thought. Walking over to help out the aurors. Minerva McGonagall ran to the fallen headmaster, who seemed to have been forgotten for a moment. "Albus, are you alright?" she asked worriedly, looking at his wounds. "How do I look?" Dumbledore asked weakly, a slight smile coming to his lips. The unmistakable twinkle in his eye returned. His eyes suddenly went up and he fell unconscious.

She shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She brushed it away as she levitated Dumbledore and brought him to the Hospital Wing. She placed him on one of the beds and ran to Madam Pomfrey's quarters, banging on the door relentlessly until she finally woke up…

* * *

**Back at the fancy restaurant…**

"That was one of the best dinners I ever had!" Ron exclaimed, laughing along with everyone else. "Well, I think the birthday boy needs to have a speech," Lupin suggested. Everyone was suddenly chanting, "Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!" and then all was quiet as Harry stood. "Well…ummm…I've never actually done a speech before…so I think I should just make this a quick one…" he started uncertainly, gaining confidence after some reassuring nods.

"I would just like to thank all of you for this wonderful and most memorably birthday…EVER!" he said happily, tears of joy forming in his eyes. Everyone started clapping and giving a few comments. The twins were screaming loudly and winking at Harry. Harry smiled, _they love me… I've…I've never really been loved by so many people before… or was I?… _he thought as he continued, "I would like to agree that Sirius, who was a father to me, would want me to be happy. So, although I am not done shedding much tears yet, I will try to get over it… with some help…" he said, looking over at Hermione.

Lupin's smile broadened as he saw Hermione blush and look away. "I would like to offer a toast to each and every one of us here, I would also like to thank you….to thank you for accepting me… as Harry… not as the boy-who-lived, but as Harry Potter. I consider you all, family, and I do love you all and care for you. So, CHEERS!" he exclaimed, raising his glass. Everyone raised theirs as well, and then they drank. Harry sat back down, a pleased look on his face.

Lupin clasped a hand on Harry's shoulder, "That was a great speech Harry, a good first speech. There will be many more to come I should think…" he said, patting Harry on the back. "What do you say, tomorrow morning we go to Gringott's and finalize some papers. Maybe even check up on your accounts?" Lupin suggested, the smile on his face getting even wider when Harry nodded. "I think that would be great Prof…Lupin!" he replied, grinning.

"Remember, call me Remus now," he reminded his _godson_. Harry nodded, looking at Lupin and seeing a somewhat fatherly figure starting to form. He smiled as he turned away, deep in his thoughts. Lupin looked at Harry, thinking that James and Lily would really be proud…

* * *

**On the other side of the table...**

"So…have any hobbies or interests Jen?" Kaji asked, trying to break the ice. "Oh, I do love Quidditch, though I've never tried to play before. Couldn't buy a broom…" she replied sadly, looking down, afraid to see something in Kaji's eyes. He raised her face up to look at him with his hand, "What's wrong?" he asked, concern written all over his face. She saw something flicker in his eyes for a moment, _was thatl…love? _She shook her head as she smiled back at him.

"No, no! Nothing's wrong Kaji…nothing's wrong…" she told him unconvincingly. _Something IS wrong… _"I understand that you… don't really trust me at this point… I mean, we just met, but if you have a problem, the best thing to do is tell someone about it. You can't face all problems on your own you know," he said, trying hard to control himself from pressuring her into telling him. She nodded, unsure of what to say.

She shifted her gaze back to his eyes, his brown ones meeting her green ones. "I…I…..I don't know…" she finally said, shaking her head as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to come down. He saw this though and immediately excused her and himself for a while. They left the room and went outside. He said nothing for a while as they walked along Diagon Alley, looking up at the slightly cloudy sky.

He finally got an idea. He grabbed hold of her and immediately apparated soundlessly. They appeared on a hill, next to a very big and very old looking Oak tree. He grabbed hold of her hand and brought her to a big boulder, which was a little ways down the hill. He carried her and placed her on the boulder. She looked uncertainly in his eyes, wondering what they were doing. He avoided meeting her gaze for a while, looking at the stars.

"Kaji… Why did you bring me here?" she asked, not lifting her gaze from him. He sat next to her on the boulder and sighed. "This…this is one of my favorite spots. Somewhere where I could just relax and reflect on the things that have been happening. I haven't been here in a while. I thought it would also be nice to bring you here…" he said, trailing off as he finally looked at her.

"Look, you haven't looked around yet. I assure you that this place will…sort of calm you down…" he said, motioning with his hands and doing sweeping motions of the area. She broke her gaze from him and finally looked around. _It IS peaceful here… the wind rustling the leaves and blowing on my hair… the occasional cricket making their usual sounds… a few frog croaks as well! _Then she noticed it, _the view. _It was looking over a small part of London, but it was amazing.

The lights from all the houses seemed to make it sparkle a bit. Words couldn't really describe it. "It's…beautiful…" she finally muttered in a soft voice. He then conjured a lovely white rose and tucked it behind her ear. She smiled at him as she felt a warm feeling rise in her. His stomach was doing front flips as both of their hearts started racing. She leaned into him as the cold wind suddenly got stronger. He enveloped her in his arms. She enjoyed the warmth and security she felt with him. They looked at the stars together, in each other's arms…

* * *

**Back at the Grimmauld Place… **

"That was a bloody good speech mate! See you tomorrow, I need my sleep after a big meal like that…" Ron said, making them laugh. He left the room, leaving Hermione, Ginny, and Harry. "I think I should go to bed too. Anyway, try not to wake us up with any of your… noises?" Ginny said, running for the door as Hermione threw a book at her. "Ginny!" she said, a very embarrassed look on her face.

Ginny winked at Hermione and then smiled at Harry. "Goodnight guys," she drawled before she closed the door. Harry felt the blood rise to his cheeks as he looked at Hermione. She felt something in her stomach as her heart fluttered slightly and her mind started spinning. "Harry…about the…well…" she started to say, only to find that Harry's lips had captured her own.

She responded, kissing him back, pouring all her emotions for Harry through the kiss. It was a long, deep, and passionate one. Soon, her hands were trailing across his back as she started rubbing his back. His hands hadn't traveled too far from her face. She noticed this, but didn't really mind it. She knew it would take some time before he would do some of the things that they were bound to do.

They broke apart a few minutes later, gasping for air. "Hermione," he called, looking at her with his emerald green eyes. "Yeah?" she said, still slightly out of breath. She looked at him and smiled. "I…I think that was the best kiss yet!" he proclaimed, grinning as she hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Well, I think that if the times are right, there may be times where they will be as good as now or maybe…even better," she said, trailing a finger across his chest.

Her finger sent electric shocks when she touched him. A shiver went down his spine. He blushed as thoughts of those 'moments' came into his head. He shook the thoughts off, suddenly nervous about those future moments. His heart was beating quite fast as he looked at her again, giving her a lopsided grin. "Well, I better get to my room before your father finds me here and strangles me," he joked, shaking slightly at the thought.

"Harry!" she said, grabbing one of her pillows and throwing it at him. He ducked, the pillow missing by a few inches. He stood, grinning at her. "Goodnight Hermione!" he called as he rushed out the door, a pillow narrowly missing him as he shut the door. He walked back to his room with light steps as he hummed to himself…

* * *

**Malfoy Manor, later on that night...**

"Draco! Listen to me, you will leave tonight and head for our hidden house near Diagon Alley. It is not safe here anymore, even if I am Voldemort's most loyal servant, he will still want you to take the mark soon. He might be reminded of that if he sees you and I cannot bear to do this to you," Lucious told his son in a harsh whisper, his eyes pleading to his son to understand. Draco nodded, but he looked worriedly at his father. "But…but…father? What about you? I mean, wouldn't he notice that we…aren't here?" he asked, the thought couldn't be kept out of his mind.

"I…he…no…Draco! Forget about me! This is about you and your future! Take your mother with you Draco, protect her with your life, do you understand?" Lucious responded, looking furiously at his son who was too stubborn to leave because he, _the _Lucious Malfoy, hisfather, would be in trouble! "But…" Draco was about to protest, but his father glare made him shut up as his eyes started to water.

"Do you understand Draco?" Lucious asked once again. "Ye-yes father," Draco finally conceded, looking away so that his father wouldn't see his tears. "I…I'm sorry Draco…but I just can't bear…if, if you…" Lucious tried to talk about what he was feeling at that moment, but it was very difficult to do so. Draco suddenly ran to his father, hugging him. "It-it's alright father. I-I…I understand…" he said, looking up at his father who, surprisingly also had tears threatening to fall.

"My son…although I do not say it often…I…I do love you…and your mother…" he said, failing to suppress the tears from falling as they cascaded down his cheeks. After a few moments, father and son moved apart. Suddenly, Dreak appeared, "Ma-master! Th-th-the Dark Lord is calling yous!" the house-elf squeaked. Lucious nodded, dismissing the elf. "Take your mother and go NOW! I have set up a separate account in your name, I have placed five million galleons in there, along with a few of the family's precious jewels…" he told Draco, sighing as he nodded in return.

Draco ran to the door and looked back, "Go-Goodbye father…I…..I love you too…" he croaked as the tears still flowed. He looked at the spot where Draco had stood just a few minutes before. _At least now, my son's future will have a chance…_ he thought as he went up to see what Voldemort wanted. He arrived at the door and knocked. "Come in Lucious," the eerie voice he had come to known said from behind the doors.

He opened them and stepped inside. He walked over to the foot of the bed and bowed down. "You are…my most loyal servant, would you do anything for me?" Voldemort suddenly asked. "Yes my master," he replied, trying to keep his cool. "Good. Now, get your son who is apparently trying to leave right now," he said, squinting his red slit eyes. _He knows! I must, do this… I… I am sorry Draco… _he thought as he looked at Voldemort with an angry glare.

"He will take the mark, _now_," Voldemort said, his voice growing as he glared back at Lucious daring for him to do something. "As you wish," he replied, bowing once again and walking out. He suddenly pulled out his wand and turned around, _"Incendio! Incendio! Incendio! Incendio!" _he cried out, flames bursting everywhere as he ran out of the room, ducking a curse that blew a hole at the top of the wall. He closed the door, _"Meripitus!" _he murmured, putting a Malfoy family locking charm on the door. _"Colloportus!" _he said, the locking charm on the door strengthened.

"Dreak! Accompany Draco! Tell him to run as fast as he can and make way to the pool in the back, someone will be waiting for him. GO!" he ordered. The house-elf disappeared just as the doors to the room exploded outward. "Lucious, you will die for this insolence!" a dark voice bellowed as Voldemort swept out of the room, his cloak billowing behind him…

* * *

**A few minutes later, outside Malfoy Manor…**

"_Feros!" _Lucious yelled. The spell missed Voldemort by a few inches. He laughed, "I was expecting more from you, Lucious…" he taunted, his red eyes glowing. Lucious ground his teeth together as the wound on his forehead stung. Blood flowed down as he took shelter behind a statue. _"Kesssssin!" _Voldemort bellowed in parseltongue. A dark purple jet of light came out from his wand.

It made contact with the statue Lucious was hiding behind. The statue exploded into a million pieces as the debris was thrown everywhere. A large chunk of the statue fell onto Lucious' leg. "AAAAH!" he screamed, grimacing in pain as he tried to free himself from the rock. Voldemort walked over to Lucious, "I will find your son _and_ your wife and I will kill them both!" he spat at Lucious, who was glaring at him. "Go to hell Voldemort," Lucious whispered, but it was loud enough to be heard by Voldemort.

He looked at Lucious, his red eyes still glowing brightly. "Goodbye Lucious. You will not be lonely for long, I will send your family to you…in _pieces_," he sneered, raising his wand. _"Avada Kedavra!" _he said, loving the look of fear in Lucious' face. He died instantly as the spell hit him. His body went limp and his eyes rolled up, _the Malfoy's will cease to exist, once I'm done with them… _he thought as another plan came into his mind…

* * *

**Hospital Wing, morning of the next day…**

"How is he Poppy?" Minerva asked, casting a worried look at the old man in bed. "Not very good I'm afraid, he lost quite a lot of blood. Don't worry, he'll be back in shape by the end of the week!" Madam Pomfrey added, seeing McGonagall's face twist in even deeper worry. She finally nodded, _Poppy is very good at her job, I doubt she would lie to me about such a thing… _she thought as she looked on at the ill headmaster.

The door to the Hospital Wing swung open as hurried footsteps echoed all around. Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey both turned to see who the visitor was. "Ah Severus! Thank you! I do hope you got the dreamless sleep draught, the blood-recovery booster, and the blood-recovery potion itself?" Madam Pomfrey asked just to make sure he did get everything. "Yes, I got everything you asked for," he said in a cold manner, though he looked at Dumbledore and a flash of worry did pass on his face. It was gone as fast as it appeared as he looked at them, an unreadable look on his face.

"I still have work to do, so if you need anything else, tell me now," he stated in a cold tone, not minding their exchange of glances. "No thank you Severus, that will be all," Madam Pomfrey replied, smiling. Snape took one last look at the headmaster, nodded at them, and left. His robes billowed after him in an all too familiar manner. Madam Pomfrey administered to Dumbledore as Professor McGonagall looked on…

* * *

**The morning after Harry's birthday…**

Harry woke up; the sun was shining brightly through the window. He jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. He then washed his face, brushed his teeth, and tried to fix his hair. Running back to the side of his bed, he grabbed his glasses and hastily put them on. After a few minutes of indecision, he finally put on a plain white shirt, and dark blue cargo pants.

He thought for a moment, and then he finally got an idea. He got his wand from under his pillow and waved it over his shirt. Words slowly started to appear as he smiled and placed the wand in his pocket. He ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. _Where is everyone? _he thought as he went over and sat down. He ate breakfast in the empty kitchen.

Suddenly, he saw a note on the table. Hastily snatching it, he read the note eagerly.

_Harry, __We have gone out back for a little game of Quidditch. See you outside after breakfast! __Remus_

He smiled as he levitated the note into the fireplace. After eating, he ran upstairs, grabbed his Firebolt and his cloak, and then he ran back down and outside. A grin was on his face as he saw them flying around in the Quidditch arena. He donned his cloak and swung a leg over his Firebolt as he pointed it skyward. He then kicked off. Hermione was the first one to notice him.

"Harry!" she yelled, waving at him from the stands. She, Mrs. Weasley, and a grumpy looking Alastor Moody were the only ones sitting in the stands. He smiled back at her just as everyone stopped playing. "Hey mate!" Ron said, grinning from ear to ear. Lupin flew right next to Harry, "Heya Godson," he greeted, smiling. "Hey Godfather," he replied, his grin widening. "Wotcher Harry!" Tonks yelled from across the field. _She and Ron must be the keepers… _he thought as they went into the center of the field.

"Okay, Fred and George are beaters. My team has George, your team has Fred," Lupin said to Ron. Ron nodded, "Ginny is one of your Chasers," Lupin continued. Then, pointing to a group of four guys, he said, "Okay, Kaji is your Seeker while we get Harry," Lupin grinned while Ron looked like he was going to say something about that. Ginny gave him a look that made him nod instead.

"Kyle and me are Chasers, Miguel and Kevin are your Chasers. So that means you have three," he clarified. "Tonks is your Keeper while you, Ron, are your team's Keeper. Got it?" he said. "Yeah," Ron said, giving them a grin and then flying off to his position by the goals. "Give 'em hell!" Lupin said, patting him on the back before flying off into position. _This is going to be fun…

* * *

_

Weeee! This is a pretty long Chapter. It might get even longer for future chapters… again, REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

Ok, thanks to **Dreamergirl86 **_again_!

Thanks **lightning alchemist ryubaton**! Thank you for your review, I appreciate it!

Thank you **Teroid** for your review as well, though it was signed in Chapter 1…I hope you read the other chapters?

Hitman


	7. Attacks & Sickness & Somethng

Hmm…Chapter 7 of my story! Weeee! Hmm…I have decided to do a little twisting, for all you Ron fans out there, the next few chapters might make you angry at me, but I don't like Ron that much. I have also decided that this should be a slight Harry Super Hero thing…

**DISCLAIMER: **I **DO NOT** OWN HP! JK ROWLING DOES! I ONLY OWN THE PLOT AND THE CHARACTERS I CREATED AND THEIR UNDERWEAR! (grins evilly)

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Attacks and Sickness and Something Stolen**

* * *

**1:00 PM, two days after Harry's birthday…**

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Lupin asked, his gaze sweeping across the room at them. Everyone nodded. He clasped his hands together, "Great! Let's go!" he said, motioning for them to hold on to the thing he was holding. It was a broken Gameboy Advanced. Everyone put a finger onto the Gameboy as they looked at Lupin, waiting. He tapped the Gameboy with his wand, activating it.

The parlor room disappeared, only to be replaced by trees, grass, and a small creek gurgling somewhere beyond the trees. "Hmm…Never been here before…" Lupin muttered, looking around curiously. "Where are we?" Dan Granger, Hermione's father, asked, also looking around. "I'm not sure really…" Lupin said.

"Welcome! I was told you were going to appear here, though it is quite early," a voice said from behind them. They all jumped, startled. Turning around, they all looked at the person who said that. The man was very thin but lean. His muscles could be seen quite clearly, he had light brown hair that was brushed down so he looked quite… exquisite. He smiled warmly at them, looking at them with his… _bright yellow eyes! _He shifted uncomfortably as he noticed that they were all staring at him.

"Umm…Who are you?" Ron blurted out, resulting in a smack to his shoulder from Ginny. "Ah! There you are!" a woman's voice called out. Tonks came running from the same direction the man had come from. "Remus!" she said, running to him and giving him a hug. She planted a kiss on his cheek as she looked at him, oblivious of everyone's stares. "Tonks!" Remus replied, chuckling softly.

"Now, if you don't mind. I think we should go now, it's almost time…" the man stated, nodding at them and walking the same way he came. "Who is he Tonks?" Harry asked, just as Tonks grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "Oh, his name is Bobby Erlstone. He's a new auror…" she answered, shrugging. After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, Lupin spoke, "I think we should be going now. We don't want to miss this now do we?" he asked. They walked on…

* * *

**Skies over Malfoy Manor…**

Arnell Johansen was an American auror. He came all the way from the United States in hope of some more exciting experiences. The war here hadn't spread all the way to the States yet so there wasn't much action over there. After much pleading with his boss over at the American Ministry of Magic, he was finally transferred.

He was totally excited, but the excitement died when his new boss told him that his assignment for now was to patrol an area west of London. His boss had said something about a prominent pureblooded family living there and that the father of that family was a known Death Eater and it was said that his son was to follow his footsteps. He was disgusted at that.

_A prominent pureblood family supporting Voldemort? Stupid asses… _he had thought at the time. He was now patrolling the area on his Nimbus 2001 Type A-. He had an invisibility cloak on so that he wouldn't be seen. He yawned, he hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Suddenly, he flew into a very dark cloud. He breathed in and immediately choked, urging the broom to go faster. He escaped from the cloud, breathing in the open air as he stopped in mid-air.

He looked down, _that was smoke… _he thought as he pointed the broom down and dove. Something _big_ was on fire that was for sure. He finally leveled out and flew around the pillar of smoke. He gulped as he saw a huge mansion on fire. Most of the mansion was already broken and had crumbled down into rubble. Then he saw the body, sprawled next to a statue, a huge rock resting on top of it's leg.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sure what he was seeing was real. He then got something out of his pocket and squeezed it. It squeaked as it a red light started blinking inside of the thing. It was an alert device in case something happened. It had a tracking charm on it, so when it was squeezed, a red dot would appear in one of the maps in the Auror Department. Help would then immediately arrive.

He landed next to the body and leaned his broom onto the statue, what was left of it that is. He quickly took the invisibility cloak off and placed it next to his broom as he knelt down next to the body. The man had light blonde hair which seemed to be more white than blonde. His skin was as almost as white as his hair and his eyes were closed. Putting a finger on his neck to check for a pulse, he pulled his hand away immediately.

"Damn, this dude is as cold as ice…and as dead as a deer after it was hit by a truck…" he muttered under his breath as he noticed shadows on the ground. He looked up to see aurors on brooms flying towards him. Suddenly, the Ministry Fire Response Team appeared, East of the house and then flew on their brooms to help douse the fire…

* * *

**Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement…**

"Director Bones?" a muffled voice called out from behind the door as the person knocked. "Come in!" she said, not looking up from her papers. Some very disturbing information was found from one of the spies they had. "Director…" the person began, shifting uncomfortably as he saw that the Director wasn't really paying attention.

Suddenly, she looked up. "Senior Auror Tonks! I'm sorry, please go on…" she said, slightly embarrassed. "Ah, thank you director. Anyway, this morning, auror Arnell found Malfoy Manor in ruins. It was evident that the damage was caused by V-Voldemort himself," she started, looking at Amelia. "Well! This is news! Voldemort turns on his one of his loyal servants…" she muttered, "continue," she said, looking up at Tonks.

"Well, we also found the body of Lucious Malfoy. He died of the killing curse…" she told Amelia, her face void of any emotion. Amelia nodded, "Thank you auror Tonks. This information is very important. Gather a team and try to sort out through the rubble, there might be something there that might help us in this damn war," she said. Tonks nodded and left…

* * *

**England, location unknown…**

Death Eaters walked out of his way and started bowing as he entered his lair. He reached his hall and walked over to sit on the throne. "Send in Wormtail," he said, a tinge of exhaustion in his dark voice. A Death Eater scurried away to summon Wormtail as he sat and closed his red, malevolent eyes. He brooded on a few things.

"Ma-Master, you called?" Wormtail said, groveling before him. Voldemort opened his eyes and stared at Wormtail, "It appears that, Lucious will no longer be with us…" he told his servant. Wormtail seemed to be delighted about this new piece of information. "So from now on, you will be my right hand," he continued. Wormtail stood and walked over to Voldemort, and then he dropped down on his knees and kissed the hem of his robe.

"Thank you my Lord!" he cried, before walking back and going down on his knees once more. "But," Voldemort started, some of his normal coldness returning to his voice, "You must accomplish the mission I will task you with, in order to keep your position as my right hand man…" Voldemort told him, smiling evilly as he saw Wormtail nod…

* * *

**Somewhere in England, location unknown as well…**

"Alrigh' there 'arry?" a familiar voice called out when they had reached an even bigger clearing. "Hagrid!" Hermione cried, rushing to the big man and giving him a hug. Hagrid patted her back as he grabbed Harry, Ron, and Ginny into a hug as well. "Nice ter see yeh all!" he exclaimed, a tear of joy escaping his eyes.

"Good afternoon Mr. Potter," an even more familiar voice called out from behind Hagrid. "Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Potter, I suggest you go on to the front and sit before everyone else arrives," Professor McGonagall said, though she couldn't help but smile when they too gave her a hug. "How is Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, concerned for his headmaster.

"He is…not too well, but Poppy says he will make a full recovery by the end of the week," she explained, the sadness in her voice evident as they walked on. In the clearing, there were two groups of chairs, divided by a center aisle. Up front was a stage and behind it were two old graves, and the two new ones that were about to be placed next to them. The forest ended right in front of the clearing at a cliff. The ocean spread out from then on, all the way to the horizon.

The familiar cry of seagulls and the splash of the waves against the rocks broke the silence every now and then. "Professor, who's graves are those?" Hermione asked curiously, peering at the graves from her seat. "Well…I was going to wait for after the ceremony…but, I think you should now. Come now," she said, motioning for them to follow her.

They all gasped when they read the names on the tombstones. Harry fell to his knees, eyes wide in shock as tears started to form. The tombstones read:

_**James Potter**_ **A loving father, an amazing friend, an outstanding husband** **We love you and will always remember you both**

**_Lily Potter _****A great and loving mother, an unforgettable friend, and a spectacular mother ****We love you and will always remember you both**

Harry couldn't keep it in anymore as grief took him. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he looked at the graves once more. He took out his wand and, without saying anything, conjured a Lily from the tip of his wand. He grabbed it and placed it next to Lily's grave. "I love you mom…" he whispered so quietly that he was the only one to hear his own words.

Suddenly, when he placed another Lily on his father's grave, a bright light shone. He felt something flow into him. It felt like he was being shocked with electricity. Then, there was a loud explosion and he was thrown back more than fifty feet. He fell onto the ground unconscious. Lupin and Tonks immediately ran to Harry as everyone who had been with him by the graves looked at Harry, stunned.

"What happened?" Lupin asked frantically, concern written all over his face. Anger suddenly took hold as he whipped out his wand and faced the group by the grave. "Who did it? WHO DID IT?" he screamed, his eyes filled with a mixture of pain and anger. "Remus…none of us did it, something…" Professor McGonagall started to say but was cut off by Lupin. "Shut up! Someone must have done it! WHO DID IT? TELL ME OR I WILL CURSE YOU ALL INTO OBLIVION!" he bellowed, his eyes glaring at them.

Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked at Lupin, shocked at his behavior. "He is burning up and his pulse is faint!" Tonks cried out, a few tears escaping her eyes. Suddenly, aurors started to appear running in as Order members and a few Hogwarts Professor suddenly Portkeyed to the clearing. "What has happened?" an auror bellowed, looking at the situation.

"Remus! Stop this at…" but Lupin wasn't listening to Professor McGonagall. Hagrid was creeping up behind him, but it was kind of hard to hide his shadow. Lupin noticed this, crouched and rolled to his right just as Hagrid made a grab for him. "SO ALL OF YOU WANT TO KILL US NOW? IS THAT IT?" he cried out, pointing his wand threateningly at Hagrid.

Hagrid, unsure of what to do, just took a step back. "Remus!" a voice cried out from behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Kaji with Jen in tow. "THEY TRIED TO KILL HARRY AND ME!" he bellowed, looking at the crowd of people who were now on the receiving end of his wand. "Remus, put the wand down!" Kaji said, his voice void of emotion as he looked at Remus, then at this wand, then at Harry.

"Remus, don't make me hurt you," he said, trying to convince Lupin. "IF YOU HURT ME I'LL HURT HER!" he yelled, flicking his wand at Jen who suddenly appeared in Lupin's arms. He held her as he cast the full body-bind charm on Jen. He placed the wand at her throat, "TELL ME WHO DID IT OR I'LL KILL HER!" he screamed, looking suspiciously at the crowd. "I am telling you one more time Remus, let her go and drop your wand…" Kaji said, anger now evident in his voice.

"Shut up Kaji! I will kill her before I even drop this wand to show that I am serious…" Lupin said, the anger he felt corrupting his judgement. "LET HER GO!" Kaji suddenly bellowed in a very powerful voice. The trees swayed as the ground started to rumble. Parts of the cliff started falling into the ocean as birds leapt into flight from the shaking trees. The forest groaned, as if something was trying to break all the trees.

Everyone looked warily at Kaji, even Lupin looked at him, slightly afraid. Static electricity suddenly started sparking off Kaji as the wind suddenly seemed to take an interest in him. His hair was blowing around and his cloak and robes were billowing around him. His eyes were brighter as he looked menacingly at Lupin. "You will release her and drop your wand," he stated simply, looking at Lupin.

Lupin scowled at Kaji as he pressed the wand closer to Jen's throat, "NOT BEFORE SOMEONE TELLS ME WHO DID THIS TO HARRY!" he screamed over the noise of the wind, which blew even stronger. Lightning flashed overhead as Kaji raised his hand, which was balled into a fist. He pointed it at Lupin, and then he opened his hand quickly. Suddenly, Lupin was thrown back, but then stopped in midair when Kaji closed his fist again.

A jet of light suddenly headed towards Lupin, who was still a few feet in the air. It hit him just as Kaji let go of the hold he had on him. The spell threw Lupin back a few more feet before he fell back, unconscious. He released Jen from the charm and she rushed forward to him. He enveloped her in a hug as he took hold of his power and put it to the sidelines first. The wind weakened as the trees stopped swaying. A big chunk of the cliff fell off and hit the rocks and ocean below, causing a huge splash.

Everyone rushed forward, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid both took hold of Harry and Tonks. Then, they apparated to Hogsmeade, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny ran over to Kaji. "Wow, that was bloody brilliant. You never told us about you being that powerful!" Ron exclaimed excitedly. "I didn't want anyone to know, besides…would it help me if everyone found out I'm way stronger than Dumbledore?" he joked, but then he regretted it as they all stared at him, dumbfounded.

"How did you become so powerful?" Ginny asked, curious. Kaji just shrugged, not wanting to tell them his other secrets. He then noticed that Hermione wasn't speaking at all. "Hermione…are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, though it was evident that she was concerned deeply for Harry. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. I doubt there is anything our Harry can't take on. I mean, fighting Voldemort five times and living to tell the tale should be enough proof that he will survive this…" he said, trying to comfort her.

Hermione smiled at his effort and mouthed a 'thank you' to him. He grinned, but then he remembered that he was still holding Jen. She was sobbing slightly into his chest. He looked down and ran a hand through her raven colored hair. "You guys remember Jen?" he asked, not taking his gaze away from her. They all nodded, looking at them. "Would you like to go to Hogwarts?" he asked them, though mostly asking Hermione.

They nodded once more just as Hermione smiled. "Alright, grab hold of me then…" he said, but then grinned evilly when they all came closer. "I always knew I was too sexy to resist…" he joked, chuckling. Ron laughed as Hermione hit him playfull on the shoulder. Ginny, on the other hand, hit him rather hard. "Ouch woman! That'll leave a mark!" he said, rubbing his shoulder.

She stuck out her tongue at him as they grabbed hold of him. Kaji shook his head as he tightened his grip on Jen. Then, they all apparated to Hogsmeade…

* * *

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hospital Wing…**

Madam Pomfrey wasn't that surprised when Hagrid carried an unconscious Harry into the infirmary. Professor McGonagall quickly came in after that, looking at both the headmaster and Harry. "What happened Minerva?" Madam Pomfrey asked, making a few scans with her wand. "I'm not sure at all Poppy. One minute, he was putting Lilies in his parents' graves, the next he was surrounded by a white light and then thrown back more than fifty feet!" she explained.

Madam Pomfrey nodded, "This boy is already here even before the start of term…" she said before making a tsk-tsk sound. Professor McGonagall smiled at Poppy as she started doing diagnostics. "Will he be alrigh'?" Hagrid asked, looking at Harry with concern. "I can't seem to find anything wrong with him. Except that he has a very high fever…" Madam Pomfrey said but she stopped short. "Oh my…" she gasped.

"What is it Poppy?" Professor McGonagall asked, worried. "Hi-his temperature….its way too high…one hundred and fifteen degrees!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, Kaji, Jen, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron all came in…

* * *

**Hospital Wing, later on…**

"I've never seen that kind of power before Kaji…how did you get so…powerful?" Hermione prodded, a tinge of slight jealousy in her voice. Kaji shrugged, not wanting to reveal any more information. Hermione made a 'hmph' sound and crossed her arms. _My powers actually grew when I was also this sick…maybe…he is…no, I'm the last of my kind…or am I? _Kaji thought as Jen drifted into sleep, resting her head on his shoulder.

After that night, they sort of had a mutual understanding between each other. They each hoped that it would develop into something more. Kaji was snapped out of his thoughts when Hermione started sobbing. "What is it? What's wrong?" Ginny asked, "He…he…he said my name…" she said in between sobs. Ginny nodded, placing her hands on Hermione's shoulders she gave her a reassuring squeeze…

* * *

**Harry's dreams…**

Harry opened his eyes, he was lying down in the backyard of someone's house. He quickly stood and looked around him suspiciously. He walked towards the house. Suddenly, everything went dark as he fell. He never stopped falling. He screamed in fear until he suddenly fell onto a hard stone floor.

It was dark, but there was a faint blue glow everywhere that illuminated the place. He stood, but his body hurt from the fall. He grimaced in pain as he sat up into a sitting position. He hugged his knees to his chest as it suddenly felt colder. Out of nowhere, a Dementor appeared. His eyes widened, "NO! SOMEONE HELP! HELP ME!" he screamed. He immediately stood, turned, and ran away. The Dementor glided after him.

He felt very cold, very alone. He suddenly knew that no one was going to save him. He checked his pockets for his wand, but he didn't have it. _Where am I anyway! What is this place? _he pounded down the hall, but the Dementor still kept coming. Then, it was gone, and so was the room. He fell into another room, this time, it was the room in the Department of Mysteries. _This is where…Sirius…_ his eyes widened in realization.

He spun around and saw the veil. He walked towards it, but then he ran into a barrier. In a flash of light, his friends and family suddenly appeared. Ron looked at him, scowling. "If it wasn't for you, I would be alive now Harry…" he spat, then walked towards the veil. Ginny glared at him, "Look at what you have done Harry! I hate you!" she screamed as she also walked into the veil.

He cried out. He fell to his knees, he didn't understand why they were doing this. Hot tears cascaded down his cheeks as his eyes stung. "Harry, Lily and James would hate you now," Lupin said, before he too fell into the veil. "LUPIN! GINNY! RON! NO! NOT YOU TOO HERMIONE! NOOO!" he screamed in anguish and pain. He wanted to go into the veil right now, for without any of his friends, he was nothing. Nothing but an empty shell.

"You killed us Harry, I'll never forgive you!" Kaji bellowed. Soon, he was gone and so was Jen, though she said nothing. She just gave him a glare, a cold piercing glare. Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore, Hagrid, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Professor Flitwick, Tonks, Moody, even Snape! Then, the last person he wanted to see to go into the veil, at that point, was _Sirius_. "Sirius! Sirius! Don't go in the veil! Please! Don't go!" Harry pleaded, he felt like he was dead, or dying.

"I'm sorry Harry, but this is all your fault!" Sirius said, before he too walked into the veil without a second glance at Harry. Harry's mind reeled, and then all went black in his subconscious…

* * *

**Hospital Wing, that very same evening…**

"He was sweating like crazy and was muttering things. Tears fell from his eyes! Are you sure there's nothing wrong? Please, stop the pain! I can feel it, he's in so much pain…" Hermione cried to Madam Pomfrey. "I'm sorry dear, I could try and force a dreamless sleep potion but…I'm not sure if that will help, since he is in a coma after all…" Madam Pomfrey replied, looking sad.

Hermione nodded, understanding the situation. She walked back over to Harry, feeling lost. No matter what people said, she would never leave his side. Sometimes, they would find her talking to him, or just resting her head on his chest…

* * *

**Somewhere in England…**

"Report, Wormtail!" Voldemort hissed, though some of the anger in his voice was gone whenever he talked to Wormtail. He was, after all, giving amazing results. "My Lord, things are going better than expected. Soon, we will have sixty teams of five Death Eaters attack at the same time. They will not fail my Lord," Wormtail reported, kneeling before him.

"Good!" Voldemort said, clearly pleased. Wormtail smiled, he had pleased his master again. _Now, what reward would be fitting? Ah, yes… _Voldemort thought. "Leave now Wormtail, send in two Death Eaters…" he ordered. He nodded as Wormtail bowed low, and then walked out of the room. _Wormtail, you have clearly surpassed everything that Lucious has done…

* * *

_

**Diagon Alley, The Broken Pinetree Inn…**

Draco Malfoy awoke suddenly, tears streaming down his face. He had dreamt of that day when his father was killed. _Killed by that madman! That…that beast! He will pay for this! I promise I will avenge you father! _he had cried out while his mother held him. They were in the woods, but he could clearly see the fight that was going on between his father and Voldemort. Then, he saw the unmistakable flash of green light. His father had died protecting his family.

_That bastard had the nerve to burn down my ancestral home! Malfoy Manor, GONE! He even took our money! _He ground his teeth together, trying to control his anger. He looked over at his mother, who was sleeping peacefully. He smiled, wiping away the tears with the sleeve of his shirt. He went back to the bank statement that he had gotten from Gringotts a while back.

He picked it up and begun reading it…

* * *

_Dear Mr. Malfoy,_

_The following statement contains all of your current property and money in Gringotts._

_Lidbanger_

_Gringotts Bank Clerk_

Savings: 66,028 Galleons 

_Available: 5000 Galleons per month as said by guardians/parents_

_Total Amount of Money: 66,028 Galleons_

_Properties: None_

Draco threw the paper on the floor. Seething with anger. _We only have 66,000 Galleons! And I can only spend 5000 a month? What happened to the family vault? DAMN YOU VOLDEMORT! You took away my wealth and my father… DAMN YOU TO HELL! _He paced around the room. His mother had taken ill a few days ago. She was on medication for it but they had brought only enough to last for four days.

The medication was expensive, if he bought it, he would have a little over 1000 galleons left. He shook his head in dispair, _this cannot be happening. _He had sent letters to all his friends, wealthy ones, even Crabbe and Goyle. They had all refused to help. They were all alone, who could save them now? Dreak looked at his young master, saddened he wanted to comfort his master, but he knew that he wouldn't want a house-elf like him to comfort him. So he just watched on, in a dark little corner, where he too felt very sad…

* * *

**Friday, Hogwarts, Hospital Wing… **

**Missing him…**

It had been four days. Neither headmaster nor student stirred. Hermione was finally convinced by her parents to go home for at least one day. She had returned immediately the next day, insisting that she needed to be there when he finally woke up. Hermione ran a hand through his already messy hair. She sighed, _I'll never give up on you Harry…never… _she thought as she stroked his cheek with her hand.

She missed Harry with all her soul and with all her heart. Whenever she saw Harry hurt, he would smile back at her, not minding that he was hurt as long as she was safe. She looked around, certain that there was no one there, she took her shoes off and slipped into bed next to him. She enveloped him in her arms as she snuggled closer to him. Suddenly, a slight grin appeared on Harry's face. She smiled, _oh Potter! Even in your sleep you make me do things! _She giggled as she fell asleep next to him, some of the exhaustion finally catching up to her…

* * *

**Jealousy…**

Someone looked at them from the shadows of the entrance to the Hospital Wing, and scowled. The figure stalked off, anger building within. He would make him pay, _that stupid attention seeking git! I will make Hermione mine, and THEN I will kill you…

* * *

_

**Wormtail's Reward- Friday evening…**

"My Lord, we are awaiting your orders. Everyone is in place," Wormtail informed Voldemort as he stared at the stone floor. "Very good Wormtail, you have proven a very successful servent, a loyal one at that. Now, your reward…" his voice boomed at the last three words. The doors opened as two Death Eaters came in, sniggering as the figure between them struggled to get free. "She is barely fifteen Wormtail, I do hope you enjoy my gift…" Voldemort said, sensing Wormtail's pleasure.

"Thank you my Lord, your gift is most appreciated!" Wormtail said, bowing low. He looked at the girl and licked his lips. _I will show her a few tricks I have learned…maybe even my knives… _he motioned for the Death Eaters to bring the girl to his quarters. "Give the order Wormtail, and then enjoy," Voldemort said, absolutely pleased. Wormtail nodded, bowed, and left…

* * *

**The attacks begin…**

Five minutes after Voldemort told Wormtail, the order was already sent out. Sixty teams of five Death Eaters attacked their targets simultaneously. Sixty Muggle-Born wizarding families, mostly parents of children going to school, were going to die…

* * *

**The Granger House…**

Hermione had gone home that night, on the insistence of her parents and Professor McGonagall. She was walking past her window when she caught some movement outside. She peered curiously at the grounds in front of their house. A group of hooded black cloaked figures raced out of hiding and ran towards their house. Hermione quickly packed, shrinking her books and all the other bulky stuff, she placed everything in her trunk. In four seconds, her trunk was already in her pocket.

"Mom, Dad! WE ARE GOING _NOW!_" she yelled, running down the stairs. She knew they were going to try and burn the house so she thought of the strongest anti-fire spell she knew and cast it, everywhere. Dan and Emma Granger rushed down the stairs. Hearing their daughter yell like that could only mean danger that involved some pretty dark wizards. Hermione pushed them towards the fireplace, grabbed two handfuls of floo powder and shouted, "Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!" as she threw the powder at their feet.

They were devoured by green fire as they sped through the floo network…

* * *

**Outside the Granger House…**

"_Eddo Flama!" _the Death Eaters yelled together in unison. The anti-fire spell shimmered and collapsed as all five spells hit it. The house caught fire, though it was a pretty weak fire. "Damn, what happened?" one of the Death Eaters cursed, raising his wand again. _"Eddo Flama!" _he said, but this time the house went ablaze. Smirking, one of them placed the Dark Mark in the air and then they all vanished…

* * *

**Chaos Reigns…**

Lupin looked was reading a book about powerful awakening spells when Tonks entered the room. "Honey, are you okay?" she asked, clearly concerned for him. Lupin just nodded, not even looking up from his book. "REMUS J. LUPIN! YOU WILL STOP READING THAT BOOK AND TAKE SOME REST FOR NOW!" she bellowed, suddenly snatching the book from his hands. He was about to shout back when he stopped himself. Hanging his head in defeat, he replied, "Alright Tonks, it's just that…well…Harry…" he began, his voice barely audible.

Suddenly, the fireplace erupted as three people flew into the living room. Lupin and Tonks jumped up in unison, their wands out and pointing at the new arrivals. "Hermione? Mr. and Mrs. Granger? What happened?" he questioned them, helping them up. Tonks cast a few cleaning spells on the floor, and then on the Grangers. "De-De-Death Eaters," was all Hermione managed to say before collapsing. She fell to the ground unconscious. "She's in shock and she must be really exhausted!" Mrs. Granger said, walking over and kneeling next to her daughter.

"I think we should go to the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts," Lupin suggested, looking at the Grangers and then at Tonks. They all nodded, "Please! Anything, just as long as she is alright," Mrs. Granger said, looking fearfully at her daughter before gazing up at her husband. "Don't worry Emma, I believe she'll be fine," he reassured her. They all used flooed to the Hospital Wing as chaos reigned everywhere…

* * *

**Hospital Wing, 9 pm…**

Madam Pomfrey was running some tests on Dumbledore when five people suddenly appeared from her fireplace. "What is the…" she was about to yell at them, but then she saw the unconscious Hermione and the familiar faces. She nodded and pointed to the bed next to Harry. Lupin deposited Hermione on the bed as Madam Pomfrey quickly did a few scans with her wand.

"She's just in shock and has mild fatigue…" she reassured them before rushing to her potions cabinet and taking a few bottles. She went back to Hermione and cast a couple of charms. _"Recipero," _she muttered, reviving Hermione momentarily so she can take her potions. "Madam…Pomfrey…?" she whispered, looking dazed and confused. "Shush child, drink this and then you can go back to sleep," she told her, making her take three potions.

She instantly relaxed as her eyes rolled up and her eyelids closed. She was asleep in a few seconds. "I told you not to worry Emma," Dan whispered to his wife, wrapping one of his arms around her waist and pulling her close. She smiled as he grinned; they leaned into each other and kissed for quite a while. Then, they broke apart and one thought came into their minds. "Where do we stay?" they both blurted out.

"With us of course. I'm sure Harry won't mind…" Tonks said, but she wished she hadn't said that as her eyes widened in realization. "Remus…" she started but he was already gone from her side. He sat on Harry's bed, looking at the boy. He sighed as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you that day. I'm not sure what happened, but when you wake up, you're going to tell me!" he said, chuckling to himself.

Tonks tugged on his shoulder. He sighed softly before standing. He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Harry's forehead. "I love you godson…" he whispered. They all left for Grimmauld Place…

* * *

**Somewhere in Fin Alley…**

Kaji was walking towards Diagon Alley. He had just had a meeting with one of his contacts in Voldemort's forces when suddenly Death Eaters appeared and started setting houses ablaze. He rushed into action. He spotted five Death Eaters heading for the house of a not so well known family. _They're killing all the mudbloods… _his power built inside him as his anger flared.

He clenched his fists, running up to the Death Eaters. They looked at him and laughed. That was a mistake, a very huge mistake. One of them raised their wands, _"Crucio!" _he yelled. Kaji rolled to his right, he raised his hand, _"Averto Exume!" _he yelled, causing the Death Eater to fly back and hit the wall of one of the buildings with a sickening crunch. The Death Eaters stood planted to the ground, stunned. That was another very huge mistake.

"_Incarcerous! Incarcerous!" _Kaji bellowed as thick ropes appeared and bound two more Death Eaters. _"Crucio!" _one of the Death Eaters said, _"Feros!" _another exclaimed. _"Loreghio!" _Kaji exclaimed as a bright orange shield flared to life in front of him. The buildings groaned, as he got even angrier when one of them cast the 'devour fire' spell at the house behind them. He flinched when he heard a little girl screaming.

The Death Eaters looked at him in fear as a faint white light enveloped him. Suddenly, without even saying anything, he stunned one of the Death Eaters. The last Death Eater raised his wand but it quickly disintegrated into nothing but ashes. He yelped, holding his hand, but still looking at Kaji. They both turned when shouts could be heard, the aurors had arrived. "Go back to your master, tell him that the _Knights_ protect these so called mudbloods, half-bloods, and also… _Harry Potter_…" he said, before he walked past the man and into the house.

"_Maxim Infusio Incendia!" _he bellowed, putting a bit more power on it so that it would be stronger than the actual spell if used by an ordinary wizard or witch. The fire immediately died down as a cold cloudlike smoke spread into the house. Kaji quickly scanned the house and found three magical auras in the room upstairs. He ran up, still oblivious to his white aura.

He burst through the door and looked around. The fire had almost reached the three people. _"Infusio Incendia!" _he said quietly as the fire suddenly weakened and then disappeared right after the cloudlike smoke went through it. He looked at the three people. Two girls who looked exactly the same age and height but looked quite different from each other were both holding one hand of a man. They both had the same hair color though. Kaji supposed it was their father.

He walked over and kneeled next to them. They looked at him, a mix of fear, awe, admiration, respect, nervousness, and gratitude on their faces. He smiled at them. "Hi, my name is Kaji, Kaji Christopher. What's yours?" he asked kindly. The girls looked at each other and then suddenly grinned. "Thank you sir! I'm Danica!" the girl with light blue eyes said. "And I'm Patricia!" the girl with light brown eyes said.

"Nice to meet you. Is this your father? What happened?" he asked, keeping his smile on his face. They suddenly looked quite sad. "He was hit by a piece of wood falling off the ceiling, we took it off him but I think he is hurt bad! I don't want to lose daddy!" Patricia cried. "Don't worry, I can help. Step back please," he said. They nodded and stood. His hands glowed light blue as he stretched them at their father.

"So how old are you guys?" he asked them, still scanning their father. "We're eleven! We just got our letters too!" Danica exclaimed. "Yeah! We're going to Hogwarts!" she said happily. "That's great! I'm going to be teaching at Hogwarts this year. Maybe we can see each other," he said merrily, but then his eyes widened as he found out something. His smile faded and he quickly took his hands away.

"Children, I want you to hold on to my robes okay? Grip it tightly," he told them as he carried their father over his shoulder. The girls did as they were told and they suddenly found that something pulled on their navel…

* * *

**Somewhere in England…**

"The attacks went well my master, although there is one group that has not returned yet," Wormtail said, unsure of whether his master would care about that. "It does not matter, as long as the others went well. What of the attack on the Granger residence?" Voldemort asked specifically, his malevolent red eyes glaring down on Wormtail. "We have confirmed reports that the house is nothing but ashes, my Lord. Although, we are unsure of whether the Grangers were in the house at the time of the attack…" Wormtail explained.

Voldemort's eyes flashed alarmingly. "WHAT?" he yelled, though everyone in the room knew that they shouldn't answer. Wormtail looked down, afraid of what his master might do. The room shook slightly as Voldemort sat there, seething. He glared at Wormtail, "You better find out, now LEAVE!" he bellowed, his eyes flashing ominously. Wormtail quickly scurried away, letting out a sigh of relief when his master didn't torture him…

* * *

**Hospital Wing, Saturday morning…**

Hermione opened her eyes, only to close them again. She groaned as the light from the window across the infirmary hit her bed. Thoughts started to swarm in her head. _Where am I? How did I get here? What happened? What time is it? What's the date? _she finally opened her eyes once more, this time shielding them with her hand. She sat up and looked around.

_Oh, I'm in the infirmary… _she looked to her left and smiled dreamily as she saw Harry._ Argh! Sometimes, when he looks like that, I just want to…to…NO! BAD THOUGHTS! ACK! Noooo! _She shook her head, a shiver going down her spine at the thought that entered her mind. "Miss Granger! Glad to see you are up! But please, lie back down and let me check you up," Madam Pomfrey said as she exited her office.

She mumbled a 'thank you' as she fell onto the bed once more. Madam Pomfrey made a routine check-up, and then discharged her from the infirmary after letting her drink a calming draught right after she remembered what happened. She rolled to her right, her eyes closed. She opened them and received another surprise. Kaji Christopher lay on the bed to her right, exhaustion written all over his face.

"Madam Pomfrey, why is Kaji here?" she asked as she finally got herself up from the uncommonly comfortable bed. She looked at Kaji once more, finally noticing that three more beds were occupied. "And who are they?" she continued, walking over to them. Right next to Kaji was a little girl, with brown hair almost like hers. Another little girl, with the same brown hair, lay next to the other girl. They looked the same, but they did seem to be quite different from each other.

An adult, a man who looked to be in his mid-forties, occupied the last bed. He had light brown hair with streaks of white here and there. Madam Pomfrey appeared next to her, looking worriedly at the man. "He is the twins' father. Don't know his name. The girls are Patricia and Danica. Danica's next to Kaji while Patricia here is next to dad. Kaji rescued them from a Death Eater attack, helped capture four Death Eaters if I remember the papers correctly," she explained all at once.

"They were the only Death Eaters caught. Around more than sixty houses were set on fire. According to the paper, one hundred and fourty three people are dead, eighteen are slightly wounded and twelve are seriously wounded. It was terrible…" she informed Hermione, who just stood there, shocked. Suddenly, Danica started to stir. "Daddy?" she called out softly.

"He's over here Danica. No, no! Don't get up! Not yet, you inhaled quite a lot of smoke last night. I still need to run a few tests to make sure you're okay," she told the blue-eyed little girl. "Hi, I'm Danica Remington. Who are you?" she asked politely, looking at Hermione interestedly as Madam Pomfrey performed a few tests with her wand. "Oh…I'm Hermione Granger. Pleased to meet you Danica, you must've been so brave last night!" she said, trying to comfort her because she seemed a little frightened.

She just nodded, looking at Kaji. "Madam Pomfrey, is big brother going to be okay?" she asked worriedly, pointing at Kaji. Madam Pomfrey couldn't help but smile at what the little girl had said. "Of course dear. He is a very strong wizard. So is Mr. Potter over there," she told Danica, pointing at the bed two beds away where Harry was. "Really? They're both really powerful wizards? COOL!" she exclaimed, "Am I okay now?" she asked, looking at Madam Pomfrey.

"Oh, yes dear!" she said, helping Danica to stand up. She walked over to her twin, taking her hand and kissing her softly on the cheek. Then, she walked over to her father, "Daddy, I love you…" she whispered loudly enough that Hermione heard. Her eyes watered as she watched Danica give her father a loving kiss on the forehead. She then walked over to Kaji and sat on his bed.

"Kaji, when you wake up, I want you to be our brother!" she said, looking at Kaji expectantly, as if she knew he was going to wake up. She looked over at Hermione when Kaji didn't move at all, save for the rise and fall of his chest. "Do you think he would like to be my big brother? Do you want to be my big sister? I never had a big sister…or a big brother…we were all alone save for daddy, who left us alone most of the time to work…" she cried.

Tears began to fall as she ran over to Hermione and hugged her. Shocked, Hermione didn't move at all. Finally, she wrapped her arms around the little girl as she let Danica cry into her shirt. "Wow…too much light!" Kaji groaned, his head started to reel, as he still felt exhausted. "Hey Kaji. I hear you had a pretty wonderful night," Hermione teased, laughing when he mock scowled at her. Danica heard Kaji's name and whipped around, "Big brother!" she squealed, before running over and jumping onto Kaji.

Looking surprised at what she did and at what she had called him, he enveloped the little girl in his arms. "Can you…can you be my big brother?" she asked, finding the tips of her fingers to be quite interesting as she felt embarrassed. She expected him to say no, so her answer surprised her to the bone. "Of course! I always wished I had siblings again…" he said. He suddenly realized that he had slipped so he quickly changed the subject.

"So how are you Danica?" he asked quickly. Hermione raised an eyebrow and looked at him, but he didn't meet her gaze. She decided to put off the question for later as she walked over to Harry's bed and sat down. Danica was on the floor, rolling in laughter as she clutched her sides, trying to control herself. Kaji grinned sheepishly at Hermione before turning back to Danica and sending her another slightly less powerful tickling charm.

He beamed when Danica said that he would probably be the best professor there was. Hermione smiled at them, she had also wished she had a brother. Suddenly, as if the Gods had heard her and allowed her this wish, Danica blurted out that she wanted Hermione to be her big sister so now they were all family. Hermione's smile widened as Kaji looked over and winked at her, "Hey sis!" he called out, grinning.

"Hey bro!" she replied, smiling to herself. Suddenly, she started giggling uncontrollably. "Kaji…-giggle-…I'm go…-giggle-…kill you! –giggle-…" she said with some difficulty. Danica was rolling on the floor as well, though not because of the tickling spell this time. Kaji was grinning to himself until he suddenly tripped while walking towards Hermione. "Sis!" he yelled out, rubbing the side of his head because it had hit the floor. Though it didn't hurt much.

"Bro!" she said, smiling triumphantly when Kaji tripped over again. "Roar! Get over here!" he yelled playfully, _"Accio Hermione!" _he said. Suddenly, Hermione found herself in Kaji's arms, being tickled relentlessly. After a few minutes of pleading, Kaji was finally pinned down as Hermione and Danica tickled him instead. "Not…fair!" he said with some effort.

They all stopped when Madam Pomfrey entered, fuming. She yelled at them for playing in the infirmary and told them not to do that again. Although she was mad, she couldn't help but smile at what happened. She returned to her office…

* * *

**Knockturn Alley, later that night…**

"Yes, the raid is tonight. We attack, take what we need, and leave immediately. No foul-ups, no excuses. Whoever stays behind is left behind, understand?" the man in the dark gray cloak said, looking at them from under his hood. Twenty Death Eaters, all in black robes, nodded as one. "Alright, we must first wait for our target. They should be here shortly. Do not even talk to anyone, speed is of the essence, especially if we are to do it near Gringotts," he told them.

They all nodded once more. The man in the gray cloak sighed, _the burdens of command… _he thought as he stared down Diagon Alley from a small passageway between the second-hand robe shop and Gambol and Japes. "There is the convoy. Get ready!" he hissed, pulling out his wand. Four minutes later, the convoy, consisting of ten Goblin guards, a troll, and ten aurors all escorting a chest, walked by them and when the group was halfway past them, they charged.

No one was sure who was really attacking, but one thing was for sure, they _were _under attack. Four goblin guards fell to the killing spell as three aurors were knocked unconscious and two more were killed. The Death Eaters on the other side of Diagon Alley sprang into action as well. Seven Death Eaters, out of the original fourty, had been killed, while three were injured.

They grabbed the chest quickly, just as twenty aurors and what seemed like fifty goblins ran down the Diagon Alley towards them. "Quick, grab the portkey!" the man in the gray cloak yelled, pulling out an old but clean sock. They grabbed it and someone waved his wand. They disappeared, but one was left behind when he was sent flying by an auror. Kingsley Shakelbolt looked at the security detail of the chest, what was left of them that is.

He ran a hand through his hair as he thought of the scolding he would get from very angry important people. That chest contained something even he didn't know about, but he knew it must have been very important for the goblins to cooperate. This was, as they said, one of the only reasons they would cooperate with the Ministry. Kingsley supervised an investigation for what happened and arranged for the wounded to be brought to St. Mungo's and for the dead to be identified and brought to the Ministry Temporary Morgue, for now…

* * *

**Hospital Wing, that same night…**

Jen burst into the Hospital Wing, out of breath. "Sorry, I got here as fast as I could. Are you okay?" she blurted out, running to Kaji and hugging him. He nodded, surprised and feeling a bit awkward with her clinging to him. "Oh, stop it! You know we like each other!" she slapped him playfully on the shoulder. He groaned, "Yeah, it's just that I have to get used to it I guess," he replied, his arms sliding around her slim waist, enveloping her.

"I would really like to get used to this," he said, a wicked grin appeared. "KAJI!" she yelled, slapping him quite painfully this time. He winced, "Ouch! That hurt, Jen…" he said, frowning as he feigned crying. She rolled her eyes. Then, she caught sight of two girls looking at them. "Erm…who are they?" she whispered into his ear, "Oh, right!" he said, looking at the twins and winking.

"Jen, I would like you to meet my new little sisters. Danica and Patricia. Danica, Patricia, I would like you to meet my…" he tried to think of what he would call her. "Girlfriend?" Jen supplied, smiling at him warmly. He returned the smile with a lopsided grin and continued, "…my Girlfriend," with a few waves and some words they were acquainted. "Oh, and don't forget my lovely little sister Hermione!" he said loudly enough for the bush haired brunette to look at them

The twins snickered as he gave her a grin. Hermione glared at him, though he knew she wasn't angry. Jen smiled and then looked at Kaji. She pulled herself closer to him, feeling the warmth of his body. He smiled at her, their foreheads meeting together as they started to kiss. The twins looked at each other, shrugged, and then walked over to their father. "Who's that?" Jen asked when they finally broke apart from their kiss, slightly out of breath. "That's their father, they never told me his name yet…" he told her.

He would ask the twins later. He would also ask Madam Pomfrey on how their father was doing. "So, Professor Christopher, ready for your upcoming year of teaching?" she asked him, smiling at the thought. "Why yes, and I do believe you wanted to be my…teacher's pet?" he asked, grinning mischievously. She laughed, but stopped when Kaji suddenly threw her on the bed and placed himself on top of her.

She gave him a questioning look, he returned it with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Kaji?" she asked, a bit afraid of what he was going to do. Suddenly, he started tickling her. "No!" she yelped, trying to get free but he was too strong and the laughter was making her weaker. "Help!" she cried out, before bursting into another round of giggles. "NO! THIS ISNT FAIR!" Kaji yelled when the twins jumped him from behind and tickled him relentlessly.

Hermione joined in the fray, pulling Jen from under him as they both pounced on Kaji together. "Okay! I give up!" he said, tears coming out of his eyes from too much laughter. When they released him, he put on a straight face. "For that, two weeks detention with Filch, cleaning toilets…" he didn't finish, because all four girls pounced on him again. This time, not stopping when he pleaded. Madam Pomfrey looked at them with an amused face. She walked past them to check up on the stranger, he was getting better. Soon, she might be able to release him…

* * *

**Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office...**

"I have read the papersAlastor, it seems it is very bad. I want to know your opnion on it,"Professor McGonagallsaid curiously, a slight twinkle in her eye that seemed to resemble the headmaster's twinkle. Fawkes crooned, singing a sad, sorrowful song. "It is bad Minerva, mostly _mudbloods _as those filthy Death Eaters call them," Moody said, shuddering a bit. Moody looked at the Phoenix curiously, "What's wrong with him Minerva?" he growled, the sad song making him quite depressed. "Well Alastor, when many good people, people of the light to be exact, when many of them pass, a Phoenix may tend to sing very sorrowful songs..." she explained, looking at Moody.

Sheshifted his gaze to Fawkes, who was still singing a sad song. Suddenly, Fawkes cocked his head, looked at Professor McGonagall, and then jumped into the air. It burst into flame as it flame traveled to some place. "Where did he go?" Moody asked, pulling out his wand. "Don't worry Alastor, he just flame-traveled to somewhere else. He should be back shortly, maybe you would like to borrow a book on Phoenixes? They are quite interesting creatures after all, Dumbledore must have a book here somewhere...ah! here!"Professor McGonagalloffered, opening a drawer and handing a rather thick book to Mad-Eye. Moody growled a thanks before leaving.

"Where are you when your brains are needed Albus?" she asked, rubbing her temples as she thought of the events that had happened. Suddenly, Kingsley came out of the floo in the office. "Ah, Minerva! Albus is still in the Hospital Wing? I do hope he is doing alright..." he said, looking at Professor McGonagall with a tired, sad, and sort of angry look. "What's wrong Kingsley?" she asked, noticing his disheveled look. "Well...the...book was stolen..." he finally said after a long silence. "WHAT? STOLEN?" Professor McGonagall blurted out, surprised. "I'm afraid so Minerva. It just so happens that Voldemort has it now..." he told her.

"Bloody hell!" she exclaimed. Kingsley looked up in surprise. This was one of the rare times that Minerva McGonagall cursed. It would have been funny had it not been a serious situation. "Well, now he has a powerful magical object! That book contains very powerful spells and all...more than five hundred spells to be quite exact..." she stated. Kingsley's jaw fell, "Wha...please...tell me that wasnt true..." he croaked. "It is..." she said before closing her eyes and massaging her temples once more. "But, it is okay. He will need the sword to be able to read it. For, if I remember correctly, the holder of the book must first possess the sword before he could be able to read the book," she reassured him, "But this means you have to beef up the security around that sword tenfold!" she said.

Kingsley nodded, knowing full well what could happen if it wasn't guarded properly. He sighed, putting his hand through his already messy hair. "Thank you Minerva, that piece of information certainly helps. I do hope we can get that book back though..." he said, trying to formulate a plan to get it back. "I'm sure you can find a way, goodnight Kingsley," Professor McGonagall said in a dismissive tone. He nodded, "Goodnight Minerva," he replied before flooing to the Ministry...

* * *

How did you like this chapter? Hehe, I did like quite a bit of it myself. Thank you! Thank you! I will be signing autographs tomorrow in Gringotts at 10am! Be there or be hexed! Hehe!

I would like to thank **Dreamergirl86 **once again, who seems to be my most supportive…friend? Fan? I don't know how to call you…anyway…**thanks**! ()


	8. Awakening, Love Blossoms

Hmm…you should be thankful that I'm churning out these chapters pretty fast! And grateful that I type fast too! And that I have taken a great liking to this story of mine! Haha, lots o' reasons… Okay, I decided to make this a super Harry fic from now on..I got the inspiration from Bob356 (Bob & Alyx-his wife to be exact). Check out their stories in my profile!

**DISCLAIMER: I, Htman, of sound mind and sound body, have given everything in the Potterverse to JK Rowling, who, unfortunately, made my story a great hit without giving me proper credit. I am now waiting for justice to be served (that is whip JK Rowling and threaten to use the killing curse on her if she doesn't give it back to me!) Just kidding, I don't own anything in the Potterverse except for the plot of this story and the Characters I have created…**

Anyway, without further ado, here is Chapter 8 of my story!

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**Chapter Eight: Awakening, Love Blossoms Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hospital Wing…**

* * *

**Monday, 10:37am**

Dumbledore opened his eyes slowly. He felt very tired and he felt extremely weak, in terms of magical power of course. _It seems that Tom has done more damage than I thought… _Suddenly, he felt something in his mind. It was something strange, something that was just there in his mind, waiting for something or someone to use it. He tried to eradicate it, using some of the energy he had sohe concentrated hard on pushing that thing out of his mind.

He immediately regretted it as he doubled over in pain. It felt like he was pushing away the very thing that was keeping him alive, although it felt very wrong in his mind. _What in Merlin's name have you done to me Tom? _He sat up, rubbing his temples with his frail and old looking hands. The curtains were closed; he breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want anyone to see what had just happened. Soon, he would find out what happened and what that thing in his mind was.

He felt very weak physically and magically all of a sudden, weaker than when he had just woken up. _Why? _he found himself asking that question numerous times. _I will have to look it up in my private library… maybe talk it over with Fawkes._ He thought, smiling at the thought of his long time friend and companion. He suddenly heard a female voice, a very sad voice at that. The girl was sobbing, crying over something. Curious, Dumbledore pulled the curtains open slightly and peered out.

_Ah, Ms. Granger… but why is she crying? _He wanted to find out so he stood, only to fall on the floor, successfully taking a part of the curtain with him with a loud _RIIIPPP! _He chuckled as Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and looked at the old man in disbelief. "Albus! You should know better than to leave bed while you are still in my infirmary when I have not checked you up yet!" she scolded him like a very naughty first year student.

Dumbledore chuckled once more, crawling into the bed with some effort. Madam Pomfrey came back, wand in hand and a tray of potions in the other. She placed the tray on the table next to his bed as she ran some diagnostics on him. "Poppy, why is Ms. Granger…weeping?" he asked, curious. That familiar twinkle, although quite faint, was still evident in his eyes. Madam Pomfrey frowned, "Well Albus, it is Harry…" she started to explain what happened.

Soon, Dumbledore was looking at Hermione, who was still covering Harry from his view. "I see she has not noticed me waking up," he said, smiling. "Well, she is pretty distracted. I think she loves Harry more than she thinks she does…look at her Albus, she is devastated!" she said, not loud enough to attract Hermione's attention though. Dumbledore nodded, "I think that her love for him is a good thing Poppy. A very good thing," he told her, looking once more at Hermione and Harry…

* * *

**Somewhere in England…**

Wormtail walked into the room. He stopped at an exact point, bowed at the figure that was sitting on the throne, and walked forward. He fell onto his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes as he groveled before him. "What is it, Wormtail?" Voldemort hissed, slightly exhausted from doing something the past few days. "I have a plan, my Lord. But it will require us to stop the attacks for a at least three weeks," Wormtail started, looking at the cold, stone floor.

"THREE WEEKS? WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS? WHAT PLAN? TELL ME NOW!" Voldemort bellowed, the room groaning as some dust fell from the ceiling. "Well, my Lord. If my plan goes well, instead of our 2000 current Death Eaters, we will have at least 5000," he told him. Voldemort was slightly shocked at the estimated increase in his ranks. It would be perfect, 5000 Death Eaters would make him nearly unstoppable already. "Do it. You better not fail me Wormtail. I assure you, that if you do, you will live the rest of your short, pathetic life in agony and pain," he hissed.

"I will not fail, my Lord," he said, standing and bowing low. "I hope not, for your sake…" Voldemort growled in a dismissive tone. Wormtail left, smiling. _Lord Voldemort will be pleased with me…

* * *

_

**Hogwarts, Hospital Wing…**

**6:38pm**

The sun was already down on the horizon. The sky had a tinge of light purple as the sky near the setting sun had orange, pink, and some yellow. The few already weakening rays went through the windows, illuminating the infirmary. Dumbledore was going to be let out soon. He would have left earlier but Madam Pomfrey had insisted that he stayed at least for a few hours, so he could rest.

Smiling, he saw that once again, Hermione was asleep next to Harry in what was quickly becoming known as Harry's bed. He chuckled; maybe they did need to place a sign over that bed with the words '_Harry's Bed'_. Suddenly, Harry turned over and faced Hermione, placing his arm around her. Dumbledore smiled, _love makes you do things… _he thought. Madam Pomfrey came out from her office, and after a few tests, released Dumbledore. Thanking her, he left, walking rather slowly.

Hermione awoke right after Dumbledore left; she saw that Harry snuggled even closer to her. One thing she did notice immediately was that he was extremely hot. He was hotter than usual; _actually, he's hotter than normally possible! _His forehead had beads of sweat as now and then he winced. He looked really ill right now. She quickly got out of bed and ran into Madam Pomfrey's office. "Madam Pomfrey! Harry is hotter than usual, I think it's getting worse!" she said very loudly.

Madam Pomfrey looked up from her desk, alarmed. She nodded and stood, running out of the office and going to Harry. She ran a few checks, and then took his temperature. "Merlin! This boy is hotter than deemed possible! Quickly, get a small face towel and soak it in cold water! Place it on his forehead when you're done," she told Hermione, rushing to her potions cabinet. Hermione got the towel, soaked it, and ran back to Harry.

She swiftly applied the towel on his forehead, grasping his hand and holding it tightly. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, which was quite hot. "Don't you leave me Harry," she whispered into his ear, on the verge of crying again. Madam Pomfrey walked back to him, "I'm going to have to force him to drink these since I cannot possible wake him up and tell him to drink it," she informed Hermione.

She lifted Harry's head, and said a spell to keep his head in that position. She let go of his head and conjured a tube. She placed it in his mouth and pushed it down his esophagus. "Muggles use this method, it's really effective actually," Madam Pomfrey said, unscrewing the cap of one of the potion bottles. She placed the neck of the bottle into the end of the tube and poured the contents into the tube. Hermione watched as it went down, through the tube, and into Harry. She did this four more times, each time with a different potion. "The potions should help, but I don't know how to cure him. I'm afraid that we will have to wait until his illness passes on its own," she said sadly, a frown on her face.

She turned on her heel and went back into her office. Hermione looked on at Harry, still holding his hand tightly. "Please get better…" she whispered, a single tear escaping her eyes. The door to the infirmary banged open as the Remington twins ran in, quickly followed by Kaji. "Hey there big sister!" the twins greeted in unison before going to their father, who, like Harry, has still not woken up.

"Hey sis," Kaji said, walking over to her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking at her with a questioning look. "Yeah…It's just that, he was hotter today…it seemsto begetting worse!" she said, finally allowing the tears to fall. "Shush, it'll be okay. Harry's strong, he'll get through this," he comforted her, pulling her into a brotherly hug. She sobbed into his chest as he kissed the top of her head; "You have to be strong for him. Oh, by the way, how about you take a break. You look like a wreck. Just take a few days away, you need to take a rest!" he said, pulling away from her.

"Harry wouldn't want to wake up to a horrible looking woman now would he? I mean, you're already horrible, but we don't want him to go into another coma now do we?" he teased her. She looked at him in mock anger and hit him on the shoulder, rather hard. "OW! That hurt!" he said loudly enough for the twins to look over at them and snicker. "I already took the liberty of asking your parents. They've agreed with me that you need to take a rest for now, just until Friday. They said it's either that or you will be banned from entering the Hospital Wing…" he explained.

Hermione looked up at him with a look of utter horror. "They wouldn't!" she said fearfully. "I think they would," he told her, grinning. "You're things are already in my place. We actually came here to pick you up. The twins and Jen are staying with me right now," he told her, "It won't be crowded, trust me!" he quickly added. Hermione just nodded, her gaze returning to Harry and lingering there for a while. "Well, anyway, I'll leave you here with him for a few minutes, and then we go," he said, standing.

"Harry, you better wake up when she gets back! I don't like my sister being in this mood," he said under her breath, noticing how devastated Hermione looked. _She must be a wreck both physically and mentally! _he thought, walking over to the twins. Suddenly, he turned around, _something's different…_ he thought as he stood, looking around. It hit him, _Dumbledore! He's gone! _He smiled, he must've woken up sometime ago. _We should visit him before going…

* * *

_

**Somewhere in England…**

A very beaten, weak, exhausted, and frightened man was carried by two Death Eaters to Wormtail. He had specifically ordered that if any Death Eaters from the missing team were to appear, they were to take the Death Eater to him immediately. They had found him in Knockturn Alley, cowering in the shadows. They had tortured him and beaten him for a while, but now they brought him to Wormtail.

"Where have you been? What happened?" he quickly asked, angry. "I…W-we were attacked!" he blurted out in explanation. "By who?" Wormtail asked curiously, glaring daggers at the man. "B-by this…this boy…h-he said t-to g-give a message to the Dark Lord…" he explained, looking fearfully at the two Death Eaters, than at Wormtail. "What was his message?" he persisted, interested. "H-he said…t-to tell the Dark Lord…th-that the _Knights_ are pro-protecting mudbloods, half-bloods, and…Harry Potter…" he said, in between coughs.

Wormtail's eyes widened in disbelief, _who were these…Knights? What the hell do they want? They must be very brave to stand against the Dark Lord so… openly… _he thought. "Well, it's your lucky day! You will personally report this to the Dark Lord," he said sinisterly. The man looked at Wormtail, giving him a pleading look. "Bring him to Lord Voldemort, and then leave him there to report it alone," he ordered the Death Eaters. They nodded in understanding. One of them kicked the man in the ribs, smiling as the man howled in pain.

Wormtail smiled as well, and then left. He still had to go on that mission. He quickly walked into his room, gathered his things, and then took a small broken Barbie doll. _"Portus!" _he said, pointing his wand at the doll. The doll glowed a dull blue color, and then returned to normal. After shrinking his suitcase, he pocketed it and grabbed the doll. He activated the portkey, the tug on his navel pulled as Wormtail left England…

* * *

**A few rooms away…**

"What is the meaning of this?" Voldemort bellowed in rage. "Knights? Who are these _Knights?_" he asked angrily, "How dare they defy me! Lord Voldemort, the most powerful wizard in the world!" he bellowed fiercily. The man cowered before him, shaking his head, "I…I don't know, my Lord!" he replied in a weak voice. "You displease me," Voldemort hissed, pointing his hand at the man as his wand suddenly appeared. _"Avada Kedavra!"_ he yelled, cackling evilly as the man lay there on the stone floor, his eyes lifeless. His red eyes glowed menacingly, still very angry at this piece of information…

* * *

**Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office…**

Albus Dumbledore sat in his chair. He could still feel that _other presence _in his mind. He knew it must've been something Voldemort had left, but he was still unsure of what it was. He placed his arms on the table and put his head down. He closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. A knock came from the door, echoing around the room. Dumbledore's eyes snapped open and he straightened himself. _He did not want anyone worrying just yet, it might just be something else… _he thought.

"Come in!" he called, leaning back in his chair. The door opened as four people came in. "Ah, Mr. Christopher, Ms. Granger, and…" he stopped, studying the twins for a moment. "Danica…" the girl with light blue eyes said. "…and Patricia…" the girl with light brown eyes said. "…Remington!" the twins finished together, grinning. "Pleased to meet you Danica and Patricia! I'm Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. You can call me Professor Dumbledore or just Professor," he told the twins, his eyes twinkling merrily.

The girls beamed at him as Kaji and Hermione smiled. "So, what brings you here?" he asked, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together. "We just wanted to say hello Professor. We also wanted to say…" Kaji paused. "Welcome back!" they yelled in unison. Suddenly, the lights in the office dimmed as the sky above Hogwarts was filled with explosions as fireworks flew into the air. Dumbledore smiled, looking out his window and admiring the fireworks.

After five minutes, the fireworks stopped and the lights returned to normal. "Thank you," Dumbledore said in a soft voice. They smiled at him, "No problem Professor Dumbledore!" the twins said together. "Well, we'll be off now Professor. See you at the start of term!" Kaji exclaimed, opening the door and motioning for the girls to go out first. The twins, after waving and saying goodbye, skipped out of the room. "Goodbye Professor, nice to have you back!" Hermione said, before she too left the office. Kaji, still smiling, suddenly took his wand out.

"Oops, forgot to give this to you Professor! See you!" he said, levitating a box and then sending it to Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore gave him a nod, "Thank you Kaji," he thanked him. The door closed and Dumbledore was left along again. Fawkes crooned, looking at him. He grabbed the box and took the envelope which was resting on top of it…

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**Hogsmeade…**

**8:52pm**

"All right girls, you know what to do," Kaji told the twins. The twins grabbed hold of his robes and stood there, waiting. He then looked expectantly at Hermione. "Umm…you know how to apparate!" she asked, shocked. Kaji nodded, "Yeah, got my license a few months ago…anyway, c'mon Hermione!" he said, beckoning her to him. Hermione walked over and held on to his robes as well. He smiled, and then after a few seconds they disappeared with the faintest pop.

They appeared on a beach, the waves crashing down loudly against the cliff, which was right next to the beach. Kaji smiled as Hermione just stood there, taking in the surroundings. He walked ahead, following a small path through the trees, which were right behind the beach. The twins scurried after him as Hermione just stood there. She turned around and looked at the ocean, smiling, as she smelled the ocean. A mixture of salt, water, and some other smell she couldn't discern reached her nose. The seagulls were crying out as some of them flew low on the surface of the ocean, sometimes flying up with a fish in their beaks.

"C'mon Hermione! Hurry up!" Kaji called, already halfway through the small forest. Hermione was turned around and quickly ran after them, almost tripping over a tree root that she had failed to see. "You okay?" Kaji asked, slightly amused. "Shut…up!" she said, still slightly out of breath. The twins giggled and he smiled. "Well, it's not much farther from here, so lets hurry up while the sun is still up!" he said. "Hmm…lets make it interesting…LAST ONE TO THE GATES WILL BE TICKLED SENSELESS!" he bellowed, already running towards the gates.

"That's not fair!" Hermione and the twins screamed after him. Hermione was slowly putting some space between her and the twins. The twins looked at each other and smirked. "Hermione! WATCH OUT!" Patricia yelled. Hermione whipped her head around and then immediately stopped running, her eyes closing as she expected to hit something head on. Her hands outstretched, she didn't run into anything.

Confused, she opened her eyes and cursed. The twins had tricked her and were now ahead. She couldn't possibly catch up. She ran after them anyway, shaking her head. _You are so gullible! – WILL YOU SHUT UP! – Maybe.. – GRR! _she battled with the small voice in her head. She stopped in her tracks as a really big mansion came into view. It was amazing, beautiful even. It looked like it was made entirely of marble. Kaji was already waiting by the gates as the twins reached him.

They giggled as they told him what they did. He shook his head, trying hard not to laugh. He couldn't help it though and he was soon found on the ground, laughing his arse off. Hermione _'harumphed'_ and crossed her arms, looking away from him. She noticed that the gates had a huge **_KC_** in the middle of it. They swung open so fast that Hermione jumped in surprise. "Welcome home Kaji!" a man with thinning white hair and a rather thick mustache said, bowing low.

"Ah, thank you Mark!" Kaji replied, getting off the ground after gaining control of himself. "Is dinner ready?" he asked, looking quite hungry. "Yes sir, you just have to say when you want to eat," Mark replied, smiling. Kaji clapped a hand on Mark's shoulder, "Great! We'll eat now. Can you please call Jen and tell her to meet us in the dining hall so we can have dinner?" he requested, grinning. "It shall be done," Mark said, disappearing with a slight _CRACK_!

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. He just shrugged and beckoned them to follow him. The twins seemed to be quite familiar with the area. Hermione found herself going up a cobblestone path towards the mansion. She looked behind her as the gates closed without the slightest sound. She looked to her left and found a few trees surrounding what looked like a very large pool. There were a few tables with umbrellas. Chairs were placed around the tables as lounge chairs were set up right next to the tables.

To the right, she saw a very large field. Half of the field was a Quidditch field while the other half was just filled with a few trees. As they neared the mansion, she noticed that there were a few hedge sculptures. One of a Jaguar, a Lion, a Tiger, a Hawk, and even one of Phoenix, Hermione smiled at the Phoenix hedge. It was beautiful. Right in front of the mansion was a space allotted for a very big garden. There were Lilies, Daisies, Roses, and a whole bunch of other flowers and plants.

"Wow, it's amazing here!" Hermione said in a soft voice. Kaji nodded, grinning. "It is pretty nice actually. This is Christopher Island, somewhere off the coast of France," he told her. "The mansion is named after every Christopher heir. So, welcome to Kaji Manor!" he said, smiling. They went up the steps that led up to the front door. The front door was made of dark oak, finely made and polished well since it seemed brand new. There was a crest on the doors, _must be the Christopher family crest! _Hermione smiled when Kaji told her just that.

She made a mental note to look at the crest later and to ask Kaji what the crest meant right after that. The doors swung open as they neared it. Stepping inside, Hermione gasped. It was an enormous hall. The walls, ceiling, floor, and the pillars were all made of marble. The hall was even higher than the Great Hall in Hogwarts. Statues lined the hall on either side and doors were dispersed along either side as well.

In the middle of the hall was a long red rug that was as wide Hermione when she lay down, and as long as the entire hall. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a tug on her pants. She looked down and saw Patricia looking up at her. "Lets go eat!" she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she pulled Hermione by the hand. The second door to their left was open and that was where they went. Hermione couldn't help but gasp once again. This was the dining hall and it was as big as the Great Hall in Hogwarts.

Kaji waved from the other end of a long wooden table that had a plain white runner running right in the middle of the table from end to end. Patricia dragged Hermione to the end of the table that Kaji and Danica were sitting in. The door at the other end of the room opened as Jen stepped in. "Kaji!" she yelled, running to him. Kaji stood and enveloped her in a hug. "Missed me already? I mean, I know I'm totally hot but…" he said but was cut off by a smack to the shoulder from Jen.

"Oh, shut up you!" she said, smiling. He leaned towards her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Her eyes danced with pleasure as his kiss sent a shiver down her spine. "Well, I'm starving, and I think they are too. Why don't we eat first?" he said softly. Jen nodded, "I'm hungry as well," she said, pulling away and sitting on the chair next to Kaji. Hermione sat in front of Kaji, across the table. Danica and Patrica sat beside each other next to Hermione.

"You know what? I am quite thankful that Ron isn't here…" Kaji said jokingly. They all laughed as the food suddenly appeared. "Ah, dig in!" he said, already piling food onto his plate. "Thank you Kerdel! Thank you Celore!" he thanked the house-elves that had made dinner. The two elves appeared out of nowhere and bowed low. "Master praises us! We are most flattered!" Kerdel said. True enough, they were both grinning widely. "This food IS amazing!" Hermione said after a few spoonfuls of food. "Yeah!" the twins said in unison. "I have to agree, the food is spectacular!" Jen said, smiling when she saw that the smile that the house-elves had, if possible, widened even more…

* * *

**Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement… **

**9:03pm**

Amelia Bones rested her head on her hands. She closed her eyes as stress flowed through her. She was nearly exhausted and would have collapsed had it not been for the constant cups of coffee her assistant gave her every few hours. She was already through her fourth cup of coffee for the entire day. She hadn't slept last night because she was supervising the strengthening of the security of the sword.

Someone rapped on the door. She rubbed her eyes, took a sip of coffee and shook her head. "Come in!" she called, massaging her temples a bit. She placed her hands on the table and looked at the person who came in. "Ah, Senior Auror Kingsley, good evening!" she greeted him, smiling. Kingsley grinned slightly, nodding at her. "I got a slight lead on the book, but as far as I can tell, it will probably in Voldemort's hands pretty soon," he said, "IF, we don't intervene that is…" he suggested, a sly look on his face.

Amelia nodded, smiling a bit. Ever since the book was stolen, the Goblins and the Minister have been giving her hell because of it. A lot of high-ranking officials in the Ministry, even some Wizengamot members, and even some International Delegates were screaming their heads off. Rudoplh Shukerford, Ambassador for Romania, was appalled. _"If you cannot guard these things well, we will take it from you and guard it ourselves! Trust that if we do, most of the International Community WILL agree, so if you do not want another embarrassing moment for your people, I suggest you do better and get that book back!" _the ambassador had screamed.

It was true. That event had spread quickly, even though the Ministry had tried to keep it secret for now. The International Magical League, consisting of ambassadors from all the countries with wizarding communities, has even called a session next week concerning this. A few countries were in uproar over what happened, criticizing the Ministry for the slip up. Fudge was outraged. Amelia, being the caring and protective boss she was, took the brunt of his anger. She didn't want any of her people fired, she needed every person she could get.

She also knew that firing her would cause even more problems. "Tell me what you found out," she said, clearly interested. "Oh, take a seat first," she quickly said, interrupting his thoughts. He nodded and mumbled 'thanks' as he arranged his thoughts. He cleared his throat and told her…

**Kaji Manor…**

**9:42pm**

They had all finished eating and were outside in the garden. They were all lying down on very comfortable lawn chairs. Jen was lying down next to Kaji, her head on his chest. They were both drinking apple juice. The twins were playing hide and seek with each other in the big garden. Hermione took a sip of her pumpkin juice and look up at the stars. The sky was surprisingly clear as the stars sparkled in their own unique way. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kaji said aloud.

"Yeah, very," Hermione agreed. Jen was half awake and mumbled something incoherent. Kaji smiled, looking down at the mass of raven hair. She shifted a bit before becoming still once again. He stroked her arm with his hand as she took in her scent. It was like a mixture of the scent of a Rose and some honey as well. He closed his eyes, his arm sliding around her waist.

There was a soft _CRACK! _from behind him. Hermione jumped out of her seat, her wand appearing in her hand as she turned around. She relaxed and put her wand back in her pocket when she saw that it was just Mark. "Anything else you need?" he asked as a soft breeze came from the ocean. The leaves of the trees rustled, as the breeze got a bit stronger. "No, were okay. Thank you Mark, you can go to bed now," Kaji said, smiling at the man.

Mark smiled back as well, "Thank you sir, have a pleasant evening," he said, disappearing with another slight _CRACK!_ "It's so peaceful here…" Hermione said, closing her eyes and suddenly feeling very tired. "It is peaceful isn't it? That's why I like it here," Kaji said, looking at Hermione and taking note of the look of fatigue on her face. "I think we should go to bed, I'm pretty tired," Kaji suggested, getting out of the lawn chair very slowly, so as not to wake Jen.

"Danica! Patricia!" he called out. After a few seconds, the twins appeared. They were both smiling and they also looked tired. "Go on to bed, okay?" he said very softly. They hugged him, "Goodnight big brother!" Danica said as they both kissed him on both cheeks. He blushed slightly. He and Danica started laughing as Patricia mumbled something. "You look pretty tired, why don't you say goodnight to Hermione and then go to bed," he told them, ruffling their hair.

They grinned and ran to Hermione. She jolted awake when both of them launched themselves at her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Night, night big sister!" they both called out in unison, running towards the front doors. Hermione smiled sleepily at them, standing up and stretching. Kaji motioned for her to follow him as he picked Jen up and quietly carried her into the mansion. The doors closed behind them and locked itself automatically. They proceeded down the hall, and then went through the second to the last door to their right.

There was a set of marble stairs to the left, with golden railings. Kaji walked on and stopped in front of a wall. "I don't want to walk up the stairs carrying her, I might trip or fall you know," he informed her, but she still didn't understand why standing in front of a wall would help. He turned towards the wall, _"exsto," _he muttered. The wall suddenly had a hazy look, as it seemed to ripple. Then, the wall was gone altogether, only to be replaced by an elevator. Kaji smiled and stepped up to the elevator. The doors opened and he looked at Hermione expectantly.

She walked in, very sleepy. She teetered and then fell, but she never hit the ground. She was asleep in a matter of seconds. _She's even more tired than I thought… _he thought as he levitated her just by thinking of it. He quickly stepped out of the elevator, Hermione in tow. The wall reappeared as the elevator shimmered into nothingness. He walked down the carpeted hall, stopping in front of a door. He opened it with his magic, and then sent Hermione inside. Plopping her on the bed, he took of her shoes and socks with magic, and then he put the blanket over her.

He smiled and closed the door with his magic once again. He walked a few more steps and stopped in front of a set of double doors. He opened them, walked over to the king sized bed, and placed Jen gently on the bed. He removed her shoes and socks as well, covering her with the blanket. Looking at her, a warm feeling came into his gut once again. He smiled, and kissed her forehead ever so softly. "Sleep well," he whispered, "my Love," he continued, smiling. He kicked his shoes off and took his socks off as well.

He hung his cloak on one of the chairs. He entered the bathroom, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and did all the other things one would do in the bathroom. He quickly came out and went into bed next to Jen. With only a shirt and boxers on, he pulled Jen closer to him, enveloping her in his strong arms. A smile escaped her lips as she snuggled closer…

* * *

**Gringotts…**

**11:56pm**

Ripgun was just one of the Gringotts goblin guards patrolling that night. He patrolled the newer vaults with four others, but he was the leader of their group. Suddenly, a sound came from the hall that housed vaults 133-145. His ears picked up the noise. He turned to his fellow goblins. They nodded, they also heard the noise, and they knew they had to check it out. Fingering his sword he swiftly ran to the security door to vault 133. They were going to have to check the vaults one by one.

The security door opened into the side of the entrance to the vault, because they were not allowed to enter the vaults, even if they were guards. "What was that?" one of the goblins, by the name of Reekmutt, asked. "Shut up!" another one of the goblins said. Ripgun glared at them both before opening the security door to vault 134. Ten minutes later, they were down to the last three vaults.

A loud _BANG! _came from vault 144. All their heads whipped around as some dust fell from the ceiling from the vibrations. Five more goblin guards arrived, reinforcing their numbers. Ripgun opened the door and ran in, his fellow goblins doing the same. The vault doors were on the stone floor as the wall around it was missing. There were ten people in dark cloaks and hoods inside. Five more goblins arrived, this time the leader of that shifts guard came along. His name was Slipslice. He saw the Death Eaters and made a signal.

Ten goblins formed a semi-circle around the entrance, blocking any means of escape. Slipslice took five more goblins with him and immediately attacked. The Death Eaters hadn't sensed their arrival until Slipslice spun in the air and brought his sword down on one of the Death Eaters. A piercing scream erupted from the woman. She fell into a heap in a pool of her own blood. Two more Death Eaters fell from the goblins that had attacked. One of the Death Eaters turned around so fast that the goblin attacking him stood shocked.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _the Death Eater yelled, sending the goblin flying into the wall, dead. Slipslice raised his hand, a jet of light blue light shot out from it. The Death Eater ducked, sending a spell at him. Slipslice jumped up and spun in the air, the spell missed. As soon as he landed, he was in the air again. The place where he landed exploded in a shower of debris as a two foot-wide hole appeared on the floor. Slipslice brought his sword to bear and slashed at the Death Eater.

He stepped back, the blade cutting his robes and a bit of his chest. He winced a bit, a trickle of blood escaping from the wound. "Die, Goblin!" he hissed. _"Atrum Flamma!" _he yelled as a ball of purplish black fire headed towards him. Slipslice looked in shock as the spell hit him, sending him into a pile of galleons. The galleons collapsed on him, breaking his right arm. Howling in pain and anger, the galleons exploded, showering everywhere as he stood.

He charged at the Death Eater, but then he was dead before he had a chance to slash him with his sword. He gasped, taking in his last breath of air, and then he fell to the ground, the killing curse had hit him from behind. The Death Eater who had killed Slipslice died immediately from the blade of his second-in-command. His second-in-command was Rockgrip, an honorable and brave goblin. There were six Death Eaters left and twelve goblins. The Death Eater smirked; _this will be interesting… _he thought.

"He is mine!" Rockgrip said, pointing to him. "Do not disturb us," he told his fellow Death Eaters. They nodded, wands at the ready. None of them moved as they watched this duel. Rockgrip sprang into the air, bringing his sword into a downward slash. The Death Eater moved to his right as fast as he could, the sword narrowly missing him. _"Incendio!" _he bellowed. Rockgrip ducked, the spell hitting a small pile of galleons and making them fly everywhere.

He growled at the Death Eater. Rockgrip feinted attacking to the Death Eater's right, but with amazing speed, appeared to the Death Eaters left and raised his hand, _"Ventus Slash!" _Rockgrip said. There was a swift sound of fast moving wind. The Death Eater hissed, grabbing his left shoulder. There was a deep gash there that wasn't there before. "You are good, goblin. But I will kill you," he spat, raising his wand. _"Crucio!"_ he bellowed. Rockgrip slid to his right, raising his hand. A dark yellow light escaped from his open palm. The Death Eater dodged it by jumping to his left.

"_Umbra Tentatio! Feros! Incendio!" _he screamed. The first spell was just a black smoke but it hit Rockgrip, cutting his right side. Rockgrip grimaced, but didn't say anything. The other two spells missed him, hitting the wall behind him. The Death Eater locked eyes with the goblin, the other not wanting to break off the staring contest. "Hurry it up!" one of the Death Eaters yelled, making them both turn. That was all the Death Eater needed, _"Avada Kedavra!" _he yelled. The green light hit the surprised goblin…

* * *

**Ministry of Magic, DMLE… **

"WHAT!" Amelia asked, a shocked expression on her face. "Gringotts is under attack. Their security is taking care of it but I think we should go in there anyway," Senior Auror Arnell Johansen told her. He was newly promoted and now he was quite happy because he would see some action. Amelia just nodded, "Alright, I think we won't need that many aurors. Just bring five, I will meet you there," she told the other senior auror.

The woman nodded and left to get the required number of aurors. "Let's go Arnell," Amelia said, turning on her heel and heading for her fireplace. She got a handful of floo powder and then was gone in a flash of green flame. Arnell stood for a moment, seemingly stuck to the spot on the floor, and then he finally moved as he too disappeared in a flash of flame…

* * *

**Gringotts, Vault 144…**

**12:20am**

Seven goblins littered the floor as two Death Eaters were left, unscathed. They had given up. The only one to escape the fray was the Death Eater that had killed both Slipslice and Rockgrip. Twenty more goblins had arrived after that Death Eater left, so the Death Eaters finally gave up, seeing as their situation was hopeless. There were four dead Death Eaters, three wounded ones, two unscathed, and the one that had escaped.

Ripgun looked at the bodies of the two goblin guard leaders. He then lowered his head like the rest of the goblins, in respect. Now, he was going to be the chief of the goblin guard for the late night shift. His second-in-command was to be a competent young goblin by the name if Lobwood. Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement came through the security door, closely followed by Arnell.

"We shall be taking custody of these Death Eaters. Question those two over there; get these three to St. Mungo's!" she ordered as six more aurors arrived. "Arnell, you question them," she said as she turned to him. Then, she turned around and made a beeline for Ripgun. He looked uncertainly at the woman. She carried herself with confidence and power, but they could all see that she was a kind and caring woman. "You must be…Ripgun, am I correct?" she asked.

Ripgun nodded, "Yes," he answered her, uncertainty still in his eyes. "Can you tell me what happened here? I would like to know _everything_," she said, looking at the goblin with a friendly look. She smiled when he nodded and started to tell his story. She quickly jotted down the important parts in a small pad, which she kept in her pocket at all times. She stopped him when he mentioned the deaths of some of his goblin friends, especially Rockgrip and Slipslice. "I'm sorry," she said, meaning it.

Ripgun smiled, "Thank you," he said quietly, before proceeding to tell his tale. Soon, she had some information, but it didn't really help much. She thanked Ripgun and walked away to Arnell. She handed him her pad and asked her for his comments. "A lone Death Eater escaped? Interesting… anyway, what where they looking for?" he asked Amelia. "Oh, well, Kingsley leaked some information about a very valuable sword being found here. Apparently, Voldemort wasn't sure if it was true so he just sent a small number of Death Eaters to check it out," she explained, smiling at their trick.

"That says a lot, too bad we didn't catch this guy. Those two told me, that he was in Voldemort's inner circle," he informed Amelia, jerking a thumb at the two unscathed Death Eaters who were already being bound…

* * *

**Somewhere in England…**

"We were tricked, my Lord. The sword was not there," the man in the gray cloak and robes informed Voldemort. He was on one knee, looking at the stone floor. "I expected as much, I doubt that we will get the location of the actual sword without torturing a few Ministry personnel…" Voldemort hissed. He was extremely displeased. He did not punish his servant however, for he was powerful and would be of good use to him.

"Go and rest, I will have another job for you by the end of the week," Voldemort said in a cold, flat voice. "As you wish, my Lord," he replied. He stood and bowed low, and then he left the room. Voldemort rested his head on one of his hands as he thought of a few more plans. _I need that sword…

* * *

_

**Kaji Manor, Tuesday…**

**9:37am**

Kaji woke up, something was tugging at his hand. He turned over and opened his eyes. "Danica…?" he asked groggily. "Oh, I thought you would never wake up! Come on! Come on! Get up so we can have fun on the beach!" she said. He grumbled something and rubbed his eyes. After that, he stretched and then got out of bed. He suddenly noticed that he was just in his boxers. "Umm…Danica…could you please turn around?" he asked in a timid voice.

She giggled, "I'll be in the dining hall, eating breakfast!" she told him before leaving the room. Still giggling, she ran off to the dining hall. Patricia was there already, eating ahead. Kaji put on a gray sleeveless shirt. He thought for a moment before placing his hand over his shirt. His hand glowed for a moment, and then he looked at the shirt. Nodding with satisfaction, he put it on along with a pair of swimming trunks, baggy boxer style.

He went into the bathroom and washed his face. He fixed his hair into his usual spiky style. Leaving the usual two groups of hair in an upside down V on his forehead. He grinned, looking at himself in the mirror. His heavily toned muscles looked well defined and he got a slight tan from the last two days on the beach with the twins and Jen. He came out of the bathroom and walked back to the bed.

He sat on the edge and started to tickle the lump on the bed. After a bit of groaning, the lump started to laugh hysterically. "Ka…ji…stop!" she said in between fits of laughter. "Not until I get my morning kiss," he said, loving every minute of it. He stopped tickling her as he lay down in bed next to her and pulled her to him. "Good morning!" he said, grinning from ear to ear. She hit him playfully in the gut, "I do NOT like being woken up like that!" she said, melting into his arms.

"How about we try again?" he asked mischievously. She made a show of thinking for a moment. "Okay," she agreed, closing her eyes and pretending to be asleep. Kaji leaned his head closer as his lips captured hers. Her soft, sweet, and tender lips immediately responded. His right hand cupped her cheek while his left hand stroked her arm. She moaned in pleasure as she kissed him back passionately. They broke apart a few minutes after that, "Now THAT'S more like it!" she said.

He gave her a lopsided grin as she stood to get out of bed. He slapped her butt playfully. She jumped, surprised. The blood rose quickly to her cheeks as she smiled even brighter. _He slapped my ass? He did! _she thought to herself as she went into the bathroom. Kaji was still grinning while he watched her go into the bathroom. He got up and stretched again. _It seems way too early, but I do want to enjoy this week… _he thought as he left the room. He walked down the hall and stopped in front of Hermione's room.

"Hermione?" he called out, knocking softly on the door. "Come in!" her familiar voice said from behind the door. He opened it, "Morning sis!" he said walking over and giving her a brotherly kiss on the cheek. She smiled, "So, what are we doing today?" she asked excitedly, giving him a peck on the cheek as well. "Hmm…well, I think a day on the beach should be in order, and then…well, we'll think of something," he told her, grinning.

She looked at his shirt and noticed what was written there. She reread the shirt again, but this time she started to giggle. The giggle turned into slight laughter, which then turned into full-fledged laughter while she rolled on the floor, clutching her sides. Kaji grinned sheepishly. "What's so funny?" Jen asked, walking into the room and sliding her hand around Kaji's waist. Hermione couldn't say anything so she resorted to pointing at his shirt.

Jen looked at the shirt and read it aloud, "_I've captured a lot of Death Eaters and I am an Auror, if you see me running, try and keep up,_" she started to giggle as well. "Oh, Kaji!" she said, still giggling. Hermione stood, smiling as Jen tried to get a hold of herself. They all made their way down to the Dining Hall but this time, they took the stairs…

* * *

**Hogwarts, Hospital Wing…**

**9:39am**

"How is he Poppy?" Dumbledore asked, walking into the Hospital Wing. "Not too good Albus, he is still very ill. His fever is way too high I don't understand how he is still breathing!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, clearly very worried about Harry. Dumbledore frowned and kept his mouth shut as Madam Pomfrey ran a check-up on him once again. "You're okay Albus, just don't do anything stressful yet. Mind you, all that time lying in bed has made your muscles kind of weaker, so it will take some time before you can do any missions!" Madam Pomfrey informed him.

Dumbledore nodded, sighing. "Thank you Poppy," he thanked her, walking out of the Hospital Wing. A few minutes after Dumbledore had left, the twins' father suddenly awoke. He shot up on the bed, looking around warily. "You're awake! Thank goodness!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, rushing towards him and taking out her wand. He tried to protest, so Madam Pomfrey put him under the body bind charm. "Sorry, but you'll have to stay still while I run some tests," she explained.

The man looked at her with a look of confusion, fear, and curiosity. Madam Pomfrey immediately made a mental note to contact Kaji and tell him about the news. Satisfied, she undid the charm and left his side. "Wait! Wh-who…where…?" he started to ask, very much confused. "You'll find out tomorrow. Now I suggest you rest or I will stun you," she said, looking at him very sternly. The man nodded, lying back down. "Oh! My daughters! Where are they?" he blurted out, getting into a sitting position once more.

"They are fine, I expect they will visit tomorrow," she told him with a slight glare. The man nodded in understanding and lay back down. He drifted into sleep…

* * *

**Christopher Island, on the beach…**

**10:21am**

After eating a very heavy breakfast, they all changed into swimsuits and went down to the beach. They were accompanied by Kerdel, the house-elf, who for some unknown reason, was afraid of the water. Kaji whipped out his wand and conjured five chairs on the soft, white sand. He then conjured a small table and asked Kerdel to get them some pumpkin juice. Kedel immediately left, pleased that he would get farther from the water even for just a few seconds.

Kaji sat on one of the very comfortable chairs. Jen walked over to him and sat on his lap, her arms going around his neck as she leaned her head on his chest. Kaji smiled and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes as he relished the peaceful mood. Jen snuggled a bit closer as Hermione watched some seagulls dive for fish. She then sat on one of the chairs, enjoying her rest. Though most of the time her thoughts would go back to Harry. She sighed as Kerdel came back and offered the juice. She accepted some and took a sip, and then she placed it on the small table and closely watched the twins with amusement.

The twins were playing tag on the edge of the waterline. The waves lapped against their feet as they ran after each other. Danica caught up with Patricia and touched her arm, "You're IT!" she screamed and then ran the other way, giggling like mad. Hermione couldn't help but smile. Suddenly, Mark appeared, looking quite happy. "What is it Mark?" Kaji asked, noticing his happy expression. "Well Kaji, it appears that the twins' father has awakened. Derio, the caretaker from your other house, just informed me that Madam Pomfrey told him that it would be quite nice if you guys stopped by tomorrow," he told them, grinning.

Kaji, Hermione, and Jen all smiled brightly. "That would be splendid! The twins are sure going to be happy about this," Kaji said, smiling broadly. Jen nodded in agreement as she rest her head against Kaji once more. Kaji kissed the top of her head and then looked at the twins. Just as they were passing by in front of them, he called out to them, "Danica! Patricia! I have amazing news for you!" he exclaimed, catching their attention. They raced to him, smiling. "What is it? What is it?" they chanted, their eyes twinkling in excitement.

Kaji chuckled as Hermione giggled slightly. Their reaction was quite funny. "Well, your father just woke up from his sleep, so we're visiting him tomorrow," he told them as he still smiled. They just stood there, in shock. "Really…?" Danica asked weakly. "He's okay?" Patricia asked in a small voice. Their eyes watered a bit as they thought of their father, but then a smile escaped their lips…

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement…**

Amelia Bones sat behind her desk, a mild headache making her very grumpy. The Minister was quite unsure of himself. Amelia now doubted the man, though she had always doubted his abilities as Minister before, but now she was certain that the man couldn't handle the job. To make matters worse, they were 100 sure that Voldemort wanted that sword. The security around the sword was doubled, and then even tripled at the insistence of the Minister and the Wizard Ambassadors as well

Now Fudge was going to visit the sword along with an International Delegation consisting of high-ranking international wizards. Added security had to be placed for their inspection as well. It had been a hectic week and she was extremely exhausted. Her body and mind screamed for sleep so she was going to leave for home sooner than normal.

_What the hell was so important about that freaking book anyway? _she found herself thinking while her head was in her hands. She rubbed her eyes and conjured a mirror. She looked awful. Bloodshot eyes with dark bags under them, stared back at her. Her hair was n a mess and she looked like she was sixty. A loud knock came from the door. Irritated, she croaked, "Come in," while she put on a fake smile. She stood and her eyes widened as the person came in…

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Okay! Okay! I know it took quite long but I was just pretty busy this week. Hmm…how do you like this chapter? REVIEW PLEASE!

**iccy: **Thanks a lot! You're reviews mean a lot to me

**deannanic63: **Really? I thought that it would be great to place the locations as well. Thanks for the review!

**Potterfreak1: **It does? Well, I'm sorry to hear that though. It is about time that I got such a review as yours… anyway, I will try to write better and fix this 'no natural break' problem as best as I can. If you will spare some time, can you just tell me what you mean by that as well. Haha, as I have said this is the first time I have ever tried to write something so forgive me….

**dreamergirl86: **Hehe! Harry in the hospital wing has something to do with later chapters so be ready! Thanks for the review 'World's Best Fanfic Reviewer' and I am NOT THAT evil, but I am sort of evil… (**grins in an evil way that would put Voldemort to shame**)

**lightning alchemist ryubaton: **No, no! It means that the only way that the person can read that book is if the sword is in their possession, which means it should be sheathed and by the person's side while they read the book. Just wait and see what will happen! Hehehe

**magiguill9: THANKS!**

**Hitman**


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